Straw Hat Legacies: The Name's Caout
by lasmn
Summary: She was running from a secret past and searching for something important. He was searching too. For something taken. Partially AU. A sequel called A Name For Ourselves is now up! REVISED EDITION! COMPLETED!
1. The Next Generation

Hey there, everyone! This is the first chapter of my first story ever! I'm so excited and I would appreciate any and all reviews! On a side note, there's one thing to keep in mind. In this story, Devil Fruit Powers can be passed onto kids, like a gene...More like a recessive gene to be exact.

By the way, this is the revised version of the story. The chapters will mostly be the same but with much better grammar and perhaps some new stuff here and there. Before I continue, Caout's name is pronounced as "Kowt". So, just say the word "cow" and add a "t" sound at the end. In case you were curious.

Disclaimer: I do not and will not own the epicness that is Oda's One Piece.

* * *

It was a beautiful day. There was no doubt about that. The sun was shining, there were only a couple of clouds in the sky and it was warm. Just another peaceful day on the Grand Line. Out on the calm seas, a certain ship with a lion head was sailing along. Anyone who saw this ship, which flew a Jolly Roger, would assume it was just another bunch of pirates. But a close look at the flag with the straw hat and one will realize that one is looking at the ship of a legendary crew.

It was that crew, the Straw Hat Pirates, who had done the impossible…They found the One Piece. Their teenage captain became the Pirate King and the crew became infamous…

Now, what was such a famous crew doing in the Grand Line? Shouldn't they be in the New World with all the other top pirates? Well, sure but they had some precious cargo onboard that they didn't want to lose in those rough waters…

A baby girl with downy green hair was fighting with a blonde baby boy over the Straw Hats' adorable Doctor Chopper.

"Kuina…Tamaki…" Chopper groaned, "Please let go of my antlers…"

"Oh, c'mon, Chopper," an amused voice said, "This is too cute!"

Chopper looked over and saw Kuina's mom, Ayrel, and Tamaki's mom, Robin, laughing over their children's quarrel. While they each hung onto Chopper with one hand, Kuina and Tamaki began hitting each other with their free hands. Ayrel and Robin silently agreed that those two were their fathers' kids alright…

Ayrel looked over at her son, Sky, who was Kuina's fraternal twin. He was sitting on a chair, giggling as Brook, Usopp and Franky made weird faces.

"Look at me, Sky!" Usopp said as he stretched his face as far as he could.

"No, look here!" Franky said as he struck some poses, "I'M SUPER!"

"Yohohohoho!" Brook laughed, "No, I am the funniest. I'm the life of the party after all. Although, I'm not alive…Yohohohohohoho!"

No one had the heart to tell them that Sky would laugh at virtually anything, whether it was funny or not.

"Hey, stupid ero-cook! What the hell is your kid doing to mine?"

"What are you talking about, damn Marimo! Your daughter is the one hurting my son!"

Ayrel and Robin watched their husbands grab their respective kid, saving Chopper from being pulled apart. One would think that Zoro and Sanji would have quit fighting after all they've been through. But boys will be boys…

"Now, now, you two," Robin said, "You boys are setting a bad example for your kids."

"Whatever you say, Robin-chwaaan!" Sanji exclaimed, causing Tamaki to giggle.

"Stupid, Curly-brow…" Zoro muttered as Kuina gave Tamaki what Ayrel loved to call the "evil baby glare".

"WAHHHHHHHH!"

The piercing cry startled the crew momentarily. They gave each other knowing looks. Only one kid had lungs like that…

* * *

"There, there, sweetie," the crew's red-haired navigator whispered as she sat in the shade of her beloved tangerine trees, "It's okay…"

In her arms was a black haired baby girl, crying her eyes out. A gust of wind had snatched the baby's favorite toy.

"Please stop crying," Nami pleaded to no avail, "Oh, I wish Ace was here…Your uncle can always make you smile, huh?"

"What and I can't?"

Nami looked up to see her straw hat wearing husband walking over, holding something behind his back.

"Hey, Caout!" Luffy said, catching the baby's attention, "Look what Daddy has!"

Luffy pulled out a red cowboy hat from behind his back, earning the squeals of little Caout. Caout stretched her arms out and grabbed the hat before they snapped back into place….Like father, like daughter…

"That's my girl!" Luffy laughed, "In a few years, I'll teach you the Gum-Gum Pistol!"

That little comment earned Luffy a smack across the head from Nami, who didn't want her daughter to become a fighter. But Luffy, as always, said that it was only natural for the Pirate King's daughter to be a fighter.

"She has to be really strong, Nami!" Luffy insisted, "She's the Pirate Princess after all!"

"Dumbass! Don't you ever call our daughter by such a title ever again!" Nami screeched, "You will not teach Caout any of your weird rubber attacks. She will _never_ fight, got that?"

Luffy pouted at his wife, stating that there was no point for Caout to have been born with rubber powers if she could never use them. Caout decided to show her parents that she was ever the daddy's girl by grabbing her cheeks and stretching and twisting her face. Much to Nami's dismay, it looked like Caout enjoyed her powers too much.

* * *

"Well, well, well," a cloaked man said into a small Den-Den Mushi, "You were right, Master. The Pirate King's brat has his powers."

Unbeknownst to the Straw Hat crew, the mysterious man was watching their ship from the shadows of some nearby rocks.

"Hey, Master," the man said, "Why are we only after that girl? Why can't we grab those other kids too? They may prove useful…"

"Idiot!" a deep voice yelled from the other side of the Den-Den Mushi, "The rest of those brats have yet to show any ability, right? We're not going to waste resources a bunch of brats that may or may not have powerful abilities! Right now, that monkey's daughter is the only one who has shown her power."

"Yeah…And who knows, if those other kids have powers, they may not show up until they're much older. By then, there'd be no point in grabbing them…"

* * *

Night fell on the Thousand Sunny. The crew was deep asleep. In fact, the only one who was awake at that moment was Brook, who was on lookout duty. He sat at his post, looking out at the peaceful ocean. There hadn't been any trouble for their ship in a long time, so they had become used to this newfound peace.

"Yohohoho!" Brook laughed quietly so as not to wake his nakama, "It is so quiet tonight….Too quiet. My heart is pounding from the anxiety…Though, I don't have a heart. Yohohoho!"

"Why don't I break that silence?"

Brook turned quickly to confront the owner of the mysterious voice, only to be dealt a punishing blow that sent him crashing to the deck below. As Brook started to get up, he heard a click and felt something press tightly on his bony arms. Whatever it was, it was making him feel woozy…

"I love cuffs, don't you? Especially cuffs made from sea stone."

Brook raised his head and saw a man with long, pale yellow hair and coal black eyes. Brook stood up and looked at his wrists. He was indeed wearing cuffs, and the way he felt was proof that there was sea stone inside them.

"Brook! We heard a crash!"

Brook and the mysterious man turned to see the other Straw Hats run onto the deck. They all glared at the man in the black cloak, getting ready to fight him.

"Who are you?" Luffy asked roughly.

"The name's Reo…I was sent here to get a certain something."

"Whatever it is," Zoro growled, "You ain't getting it…"

"Well, this won't do," Reo said, looking around, "Ten of you against one of me…Why don't I even the odds a little?"

The Straw Hats could only stare as the man opened his cloak. A bunch of black blobs jumped out and fell to the ground. The blobs then started to morph into shapes, demonic shapes. A group of fifteen to twenty demons stood in front of Reo.

"Ohh, now the odds are in _my_ favor…Oh well!" Reo said smugly.

The Straw Hats charged, as did the demons. It was a brutal fight…A hopeless fight…At least, for the Straw Hats it was…

No matter what they did, whether it be slicing them, pulling them apart or punching the hell out of them, those demons just didn't die. They just regenerated each and every time. Plus, it didn't help that the Devil Fruit users of the crew had been rendered powerless thanks to sea stone cuffs that Reo had somehow placed on them while they were focused on the demons…

"Wha-What are these things?" Ayrel panted. If only she could get the damn cuffs off, then she would electrocute the demons into oblivion.

"Who knows…?" Sanji gasped, "But where did that cloaked asshole run off to?"

The Straw Hats looked around. They had been so preoccupied with the demons, they had lost track of the man who summoned them in the first place. Suddenly, the door to the lower decks slammed open. The cloaked man stepped through, holding a bundle in his arm.

"Well, my work here is done…" Reo said, snapping his fingers. The demons disintegrated, leaving the Straw Hats feeling tired and confused.

"What the hell did you take, you weird cloak bastard?" Luffy panted, glaring at Reo.

"What?" Reo said, chuckling, "You don't even recognize something that belongs to you, Mister Pirate King?"

Luffy looked down at the bundle for a moment…And his heart stopped. His eyes grew wide and he couldn't breathe. It couldn't be...

But it was…The cries that suddenly came from the bundle were all the proof…The Straw Hats froze in their tracks…

"…Caout…?" Nami whispered.

"Let her go…" Luffy growled, struggling to walk over to Reo, "Let her go…let her go…LET HER GO!"

"No can do, Pirate King," Reo said, jumping up onto the edge of the ship, "I must make my leave…Good-bye!"

Luffy ran at him but Reo jumped off the ship. Luffy looked over the side but, to his utter astonishment, the man was gone. There had been no splash, so he didn't fall in the waters…He was just…gone.

Like the demons, the sea stone cuffs disappeared. But no one noticed. They were in shock. It was quiet…Deathly quiet…The noise was then broken by a sound no human being should ever have to hear.

The sound of a heartbroken mother…

"CAOUT!" Nami wailed as she collapsed on the deck. Ayrel and Robin ran over to her and put their arms around her. But they said nothing. Nothing could be said…

"She's gone…" Luffy muttered to no one in particular.

The men of the crew looked at their captain, who was still staring at the water. The world had vanished around Luffy. He was the Pirate King, the best pirate in the world. So he was supposed to be really strong, right? He was supposed to be able to protect his nakama…his wife…his daughter…But he hadn't protected Caout. That man had taken her easily…Too easily…He had failed. Caout was gone…He didn't save her…He didn't save her…He didn't-

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"

* * *

Whoo! First Chapter! Not too long or too good but it will hopefully get better! Now, there are a couple of things I need to address. Ayrel is a character all my own. Her full name is Silverra D. Ayrel and she is Luffy's distant, distant cousin. She's known Luffy since she was ten. She's two years older than him. Ayrel has the powers of the Biri-Biri no Mi, which I translated into the Spark-Spark Fruit, which gives her power over electricity (not lightning, electricity, even though there's probably no difference). She used to be a Marine Captain but switched over thanks to Luffy...it's a very complicated story. She has dark brown hair in a boyish style and dark brown eyes. She fell in love with Zoro.

Another note is in this story, Ace is still around. He was the only survivor of his crew from the Marineford incident. He has a huge scar on his back where his tattoo was. Luffy offered to take him in. As of this chapter, Ace had yet to reach a decision about that so he is solo traveling until he reaches a decision.

Please, please, please review!


	2. Like Dad, Like Kid

Hey again! I know, fast update, huh? But I couldn't wait to get this chapter out!

I'm still waiting for a review...Just one...Anybody...?

Disclaimer: I still don't own One Piece...How sad...

* * *

It was a hot day on the Grand Line….Truly blistering. The birds had decided to stay on land, hiding beneath the shades of the trees. Even the fish seemed to be hiding in the farthest depths of the seas. On a small Summer Island known as Garuka, the citizens walked about as quickly as they could. They wanted to get any errands they had done as quickly as possible. Only an idiot would want to stay out in this weather.

At the island's port, a group of men were waiting for one of their ships to come in. The fishing vessel had set sail earlier in the day. But, thanks to the unbearable heat and lack of fish, the ship was coming back in. If the fish weren't biting, there was no point to being out on the waters.

"There she is," one man said, spotting the medium-sized vessel coming in.

After a few minutes, the ship pulled into port. As the men on land tied the ship down, the ship's captain jumped off, looking flustered.

"Y-you guys!" he exclaimed, talking in a quick and nervous voice, "Y-you'll never b-believe what I f-found on the way b-back!"

"Calm down, Koi," one man said, "You're speaking too fast. Now, tell us what you found. Some kind of weird fish?"

"Not even close," Koi said after taking a couple of deep breaths, "I'll show you!"

Koi jumped back on his ship and quickly came back, dragging a large wooden box behind him. A couple of the men aided him in getting the box onto land.

"Open it!" Koi said, backing away from the box as if it would explode.

A man went over and lifted the loose lid of the box. He peered inside and, with a gasp, dropped the lid. He motioned the other men over to look inside. They all stared and were shocked. Were they really looking at what they thought they were?

Inside the box, curled up in a little ball and fast asleep, was a girl no older than seven or eight. She had messy black hair and tanned skin. She wore rather fancy-looking clothes. She wore a red dress shirt with elbow length sleeves, a black buttoned vest on top and a black tie, as well as black pants with matching dress shoes. Her right hand was bandaged. Her hands were clutching a dark red cowboy hat…

"I don't know what she's doing in there!" Koi said, "I was sailing back and my boat bumped into this box. I pulled it onboard, thinking there might be some supplies inside. But this girl was in it!"

"And you just left her in it?" another man asked incredulously, "She could've died of heatstroke, Koi!"

"I tried to get her out, really! But she woke up and told me to leave her alone…That she was taking a nap and didn't want to be disturbed."

At that moment, the men heard a yawn come from inside the box. They turned to face the box and saw the girl. She was standing up and stretching. She jumped out and looked around with her big black eyes. Her eyes landed on the men. They waited nervously, waiting to see what the girl would say…

"What a great nap!" she said happily.

The men's jaws dropped from shock…What the hell?

"Hey, girl…" Koi said as the girl yawned again, "Are you okay? I mean, what were you doing in that box?"

The girl looked at Koi, puzzlement on her face. Did she not remember how she got in the box? Maybe she was an amnesiac?

"Oh yeah!" she said, clapping her hands together, "You're that old guy from the boat! I thought you looked familiar!"

"Umm…yeah, that's me…Back to my question though…"

"I'm fine. I was in a hurry to leave the island I was on. I didn't have time to wait for a boat. So I pushed that box into the water, hopped inside and hoped for the best."

"You do realize the dangers of doing that, right?" another man asked.

"Well," the girl began, tapping her chin thoughtfully, "In hindsight, it wasn't that great an idea…But I still made it! So I guess it's okay."

The men looked at each other, unsure of what to make of this situation. The girl took her hat and put it on in an odd way. Not on top of her head but rather hanging off her neck by the string. The girl suddenly walked off in the direction of the town. The men asked where she was going, where were her parents and, most importantly, who the heck was she?

"Well, I want to find someone heading off this island," the girl said as she walked, "Preferably not in the direction I came in…I don't know where my folks are…They're somewhere…"

"So, who are you?" Koi called to her.

The girl stopped and turned to face the men. She gave them a broad smile.

"Well, I'm an eight year old who goes by the name Listerra D. Caout!"

* * *

At that exact moment, many, many miles away from Garuka, a ship known as the Thousand Sunny was sailing the seas. The ship's captain sat solemnly on the lion head, gazing out towards the ocean. One look on his face and one could tell this was a broken man.

"Luffy…"

The man turned slowly at his name, only to see his older brother looking at him worriedly.

"Sanji says it's time to eat," Ace said, "C'mon, kid…You skipped breakfast and you didn't eat anything yesterday…"

"…I'm not hungry, Ace…" Luffy replied softly.

Ace frowned as his kid brother turned back towards the ocean. For the past eight years, Luffy had been like this. He would eat and drink once every other week, and barely at that, but most of the time he would be like this. Staring at the horizon…Not saying a word…

Ace had learned about what happened to his niece only a day after it occurred. He had gotten the call from Ayrel on his Den-Den Mushi. After hearing the news, Ace abandoned his whole solo sailing thing and came back to the ship. The kidnapping made him decide to join his brother's crew. There was no way he could leave him alone after what happened to Caout.

"Ace?"

Ace turned to look at Ayrel, who was glancing up at Luffy.

"He's not coming?" she asked.

Ace shook his head no, much to Ayrel's dismay. The two reluctantly left Luffy alone on deck. Luffy didn't even notice they were gone. He continued to stare at the ocean, the wind blowing his hair around, his straw hat planted firmly on his head.

"…Caout…" he said quietly, "I'll find you…"

* * *

Back on Garuka, Caout was skipping in the streets of the town. She was earning the stares of the townsfolk, and for good reason. Who wouldn't stare at this new, fancily dressed, little girl who was acting like the heat didn't bother her a bit? Sweat was pouring off her face but she was grinning widely.

"I'm getting a lot of attention today," Caout murmured as she looked around, "Like they've never seen a kid before…"

Caout chose to ignore their stares and thought about what to do. She still didn't have any money, so she probably wouldn't be allowed on a boat. But she _had_ to get on the boat. After all, it had already been a week since she escaped from "there". They probably sent someone after her by now…

"I hope it isn't _that_ _guy_," Caout groaned, "Damn, what a mess this is!"

Caout's anger at how crappy her life had turned out was quickly replaced by what she considered to be the worst possible feeling in the history of forever…_**HUNGER**_…Now how was a broke kid supposed to get a decent meal?

Pity…that's how…

"Hey, ma'am!" Caout said to a fruit vendor, "These fruit look so ripe and juicy!"

"Of course they do!" the woman said proudly, "I pride myself in selling only top of the line produce. You won't find anyone selling anything fresher!"

"I bet…They look so delicious…I would love to have some."

"Go ahead and buy some then! They're only sixty Berries a pound!"

Caout smirked inside…It was show time! She stuck her lower lip out and let her eyes water a little. She clasped her hands together…She made herself look pathetic.

"I would love to buy some of your fruits, ma'am," she said sadly, making her voice go up a couple octaves, "But I have no money…It's sad really…My mommy and daddy used to buy me tons of fruit before they…well…before that "accident". Now, without them, it's hard to feed myself…But it's okay! You're trying to make a living and I'm not going to ask for a handout."

Caout looked at the lady's face and declared her mission successful. The woman was teary-eyed. It really paid to be adorable…And a good liar…

"Your parents would be so proud of how strong you are," the lady choked out, "I can't sell you anything from my stand cause then other people will try to trick me into giving them some for free…But keep going straight down this road. You'll come across dozens of apple trees that I own…Eat to your heart's content, little one!"

"Thank you so much, kind woman!" Caout said, bowing slightly, "I'll never forget your generosity, ma'am!"

So Caout ran off down the road and, sure enough, there were the trees. Each branch covered in ripe, juicy apples…

"Chow time!" Caout said as she felt her mouth water.

* * *

"I wonder if the lady would mind that I ate so much…"

Caout looked around at the five trees that she had picked clean. It was amazing how much one kid could eat without gaining any weight.

Caout patted her stomach, satisfied from her meal. She got up and brushed the dirt off her clothes. Now that her meal was done, she had to go find a way off Garuka without having to pay…Easier said than done.

"Thanks for the meal," Caout said to the trees before she left. She hadn't taken more than two steps before something caught her eye.

There, in one of the trees she thought she had picked bare. It was round and golden, the light making it shimmer. Caout could've sworn she heard a choir singing in the background. There, on that branch, was a single apple…The only one she missed…

"I'm sure I have room for _one_ more apple," Caout said as she walked to the tree.

Caout was right underneath the branch that held the apple. The branch was fifty feet up there.

"No problem…" Caout said determinedly.

Caout leaned back a little and, with the force of her whole body, threw her arm towards the branch. She watched happily as the arm wrapped itself around the branch several times. She was then propelled towards the branch and landed on it a little less than gracefully.

"Thank you, Gum-Gum powers," Caout whispered. Cuteness and the ability to stretch like rubber…Both essential skills…

Caout shimmied over to the edge of the branch and grabbed the missed apple. She casually ate it, savoring its sweet flavor and delicious aroma. Suddenly, without any warning, Caout felt a gust of wind. A very, very, very strong gust of wind. Unprepared for its power, Caout was thrown off the branch and plummeted fifty feet to the ground. Thank God she was rubber, or that fall would've killed her. Instead, she bounced off the ground a few times and landed on her butt.

"Damn it all!" Caout yelled, rubbing her now sore rear end, "Where the hell did that damn wind come from?"

"The better question is who the hell are you?"

Caout gasped and turned around quickly. She faced the owner of the voice…

* * *

Dum, dum, dah! Cliffhanger! So here's chapter two, yay! Like father, like daughter, huh? So Caout's eight and she's sporting the surname Listerra. Here's a quick rundown on Caout. Her hair is about the same length as Robin's. She has bangs on either side of her head that frame her face. She's what I like to call, the female version of Luffy. She takes after her father alright. She dresses kind of fancy. If you want some idea about her outfit, look up a picture of a waiter's outfit. That's as close to Caout's outfit as you'll find.

Please, please, please review! It'll make me feel like this story is going well if you do.


	3. Hazuki

I know, you're probably wondering why I'm updating so quickly. I'm going on vacation in a couple weeks, so I want to try and finish my first story before then. Maybe I will, maybe I won't...I'll see how that works out. I would like to say thank you to my first reviewer and the person who favorited my story! You have made me so happy! You have no idea!

This chapter came about because I wanted to better explain life, if only a little bit, on the Sunny post-Caout incident. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: After reading this, do you honestly believe I could _**ever **_own One Piece? As if...

* * *

Nami sat in her room, looking out the window and not even glancing at the warm bowl of soup next to her. She wasn't concerned about food…Her husband, on the other hand, was a different story.

Nami could still picture the day her Caout was taken away. She had been sobbing, unable to stand up. But Luffy…lost it. Yelling, punching, wailing…If Zoro, Sanji and Ayrel hadn't grabbed him and held him down…If Chopper hadn't sedated him, the Sunny would've been shattered for sure.

She understood what Luffy was going through perfectly. But she was handling things better than he was…It had taken a while but Nami had recovered just enough to keep living. Luffy hadn't…It was as simple as that. Even after eight years, even though there is certainly no hope, he hasn't given up. Luffy still believes that somewhere, waiting for him, is the little girl he lost.

There was no way that anyone on the crew was going to tell him otherwise. This unwavering belief in the impossible…It was one of the many things they admired about their captain. It was why they still went along with the search. But they all knew that unless Luffy started taking better care of himself, this search would be the death of him. There had already been far too many close calls. Heatstroke…Dehydration…Fever…Nervous breakdowns…The list goes on forever.

But they didn't want him to snap out of it just for his sake…Or even for their own sake…It was for the sake of someone else.

"Mama?"

Nami looked up at the doorway and saw the very person Luffy _had_ to get better for. Her long orange hair was tied back in a ponytail, her dark brown eyes looking inquisitively at Nami. She wore blue jeans and a purple and white plaid button up shirt with short sleeves. Her glasses were hanging off of her silver necklace.

Her name was Monkey D. Hazuki…Luffy and Nami's seven year old daughter…

Hazuki had been conceived a week before Caout was taken. When Nami had found out she was pregnant, she all but lost it. She didn't want another child; she didn't want something to happen to this one. She wouldn't be able to bear it. But Luffy said they would have the child…And he _would_ _protect_ her. Luffy made sure Hazuki never trained like the other kids; that she never got involved in fights. It helped that Hazuki didn't have any special powers. As long as Luffy was around, Hazuki would never be part of a single battle. She would always be safe, hidden away on the lower decks of the ship whenever an enemy came.

"What is it, Haz?" Nami asked softly, smiling at her daughter.

"Is Papa not eating again?" she asked.

"Well, Ace and Ayrel already tried to convince him otherwise, sweetie. You can try your luck."

Hazuki nodded determinedly and ran off to the deck. Along the way she ran into her two best friends, Anna and Annetoinette.

Anna, Tamaki's sister, was born a few months after Hazuki and was the splitting image of her mom. Same hair, same eyes, same powers…But she got her love of cooking and liveliness from her dad.

Annetoinette was Usopp and Kaya's girl, born a couple months before Hazuki. Annetoinette had wavy blonde hair and bright black eyes. She was also quite the archer. And no, she _did not_ have Usopp's nose!

"Hey, Haz!" Anna called out to her friend, "Where are you going?"

"I'm gonna make Papa come down to eat!" Hazuki yelled as she passed them.

"Wait for us!" Annetoinette said. Her voice was followed by hers and Anna's footsteps.

The trio burst onto the deck and looked where Luffy sat. He was as still as a statue.

"So, what's your plan this time?" Anna asked Hazuki.

"Mmmm…I'm not exactly sure…" Hazuki admitted, "The main problem is trying to get his attention. Such a pain…"

"Haz, I don't think you'll have much luck…" Annetoinette said.

Hazuki stuck her tongue out at the girls. Anna and Annetoinette rolled their eyes at her. They both knew for a fact that Hazuki never had good luck when it came to this sort of thing. Hazuki silently told her friends to wait while she casually walked over to her dad.

"Hey, Papa!" Hazuki greeted, earning no response, "I said, hi! …Hi, Papa! Hi there! Heeelllooo! HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!"

Hazuki frowned at her father's lack of attention. She jumped up and down, made weird noises, anything to get his attention. But Luffy still stared blankly ahead, dead to the world.

"Sheesh! What does a girl have to do to get her own dad's attention?" Hazuki said to herself.

Hazuki looked around, trying to find something that could get her dad to notice her. Finding nothing, Hazuki looked at the railing of the ship…If Plan A was a failure, there was always Plan B…

It would be cruel but it was the only thing that would work…

"Haz, what are you doing?" Annetoinette whispered as Hazuki climbed onto the railing.

"Shut up!" Hazuki hissed.

Anna and Annetoinette gave each other worried glances. Hazuki had done this before, a bunch of times. Her stupid back up plan…It would be the death of her one of these days…But they couldn't stop her no matter what. Hazuki was stubborn and did things her own way.

She was Luffy and Nami's daughter after all.

Hazuki slowly stood up on the railing, wobbling slightly from the rocking motion of the ship. She looked over at Anna and gave her a look she knew all too well. Anna sighed, not believing that she was getting herself involved, and sprouted two hands to hold Hazuki's feet. Hazuki grinned, looked over at her father and took a deep breath.

"WAAHHH! HELP! HELP! HELP!" she screamed as she shook her arms and moved her body as wildly as possible.

As fast as lightning, her dad shot his arm out, wrapping it around Hazuki's waist. Hazuki grunted as she was propelled towards her father. The second she reached him, he wrapped his arms around her tightly, squeezing her. Hazuki felt him trembling and breathing shallowly. Guilt was setting in…as it did every time she did something like that.

"Haz, you idiot!" Luffy yelled as he put his daughter down, "How many times have I told you not to pull a stunt like that again?"

"You wouldn't say anything no matter what I did," Hazuki reasoned, "That's the only thing that will get your attention every time!"

"Do you have the faintest idea how _easily_ you could've _died_?"

Hazuki wouldn't admit it but her dad had a point. Whether it was standing on the rail, balancing on the yard of the main mast, playing around with the cannons or falling in the fish tank…she had nearly killed herself plenty of times.

Luffy sighed and placed a hand over his eyes. He dropped down to his knees and put his hands firmly on Hazuki's shoulders. Hazuki looked at his firm gaze.

"Haz, I know I zone out a lot…" Luffy began, "But putting yourself in danger like that isn't going to help anyone…I don't want you getting _hurt_, or _worse_."

"Kind of impossible to get with you babying me all the time…" Hazuki muttered, knowing Luffy had heard.

"I'm not babying you, Haz. I'm keeping you out of trouble…"

"Oh yes, like when you only let me play in ankle deep water. Or when you drag me away when a dog comes within five feet of me. And let's not forget how I'm the only one on this ship who has never seen battle…Even Anna and Annie have fought and they're the same age as me!"

"Unlike you, Haz, they have battling abilities," Luffy replied, "Anna has Robin's Hana-Hana Fruit powers. And Annetoinette is as good a shot as her father."

"I'd probably be an awesome fighter too if you would train me!"

"Hazuki," Luffy said, "I know it seems unfair but I can't let anything happen to you! If you died cause I couldn't protect you, I'd kill myself! I don't want a repeat of-"

Luffy's voice trailed off but Hazuki knew what he would've said. He didn't want a repeat of what happened to _Caout_. Hazuki angrily pushed her dad's arms off her and stomped her way past her friends. Anna and Annetoinette watched as she ran off to the girls' bedroom and slammed the door shut.

Hazuki jumped into her hammock and stared angrily at the ceiling. This was all _her_ fault. Her stupid older sister…Hazuki knew it was wrong to be mad at Caout. She hadn't asked to be kidnapped as a baby. But Hazuki couldn't help it. Her life was a miserable pile of crap because of a sibling she had never met before.

"…I hate that girl…" Hazuki murmured into her pillow. And she meant it too.

At least, she sort of did…

* * *

"So you and Hazuki had another argument," Zoro said indifferently as he walked up to his captain.

"Oh…Zoro…You heard that, huh?" Luffy said as he got up from the floor.

"The whole ship heard you guys. You know, I can see where Hazuki is coming from. It must be annoying, wanting to protect others but not being allowed to."

"Zoro, you know why I can't let her get involved," Luffy said, staring at his friend.

"Luffy…" Zoro said, "I know what happened to Caout is painful for you. And I know you would do anything to keep the same thing from happening to Hazuki. But it's impossible to keep her safe from everything. And sheltering her won't help her in the long run."

"I will never let her get hurt," Luffy growled, "I'm going to protect her! It was because I wasn't strong enough, because I couldn't protect Caout that she was taken away!"

Luffy turned away from his friend and marched over to the side of the ship, looking down at the waters below. It was at that very spot that, eight years earlier, he had watched that cloaked man disappear with Caout.

"Zoro…I _will_ find Caout. She's still alive. I know it. Then, I'll find that guy with the cloak. And when I do find that bastard, I'll kill him…._I will kill him_…without hesitation…That's a promise."

* * *

Oooohhh, Luffy's gotten kinda dark! On the plus side, you guys meet three new kids!

Hazuki's hair is about elbow length. Her bangs are kind of long so she's constantly brushing them out of her eyes. Hazuki has a hard time seeing _sometimes_, that's why she has glasses. She doesn't need them all the time though. Her eyes are weird like that. Hazuki resembles Nami as much as Caout resembles Luffy. Most people call her Haz; people rarely call her Hazuki, unless they're really upset or they have something serious to say to her.

Anna is basically her mother's twin to a T. But she's her opposite when it comes to personality. She is three months younger than Hazuki but she's taller than her and Annetoinette. She is a daddy's girl, for sure. She loves to cook, but tends to set things on fire. She almost always goes along with Hazuki's plan, no matter how crazy they are.

Annetoinette's hair is about half her back in length. She was conceived when the crew returned to the East Blue for a visit a month before Caout's kidnapping. She was given to the crew after Kaya died from complications (Don't hate me for killing her! It was the only way this would've worked out). She didn't like guns but archery was another story. She is occasionally called Annie. She is the oldest and calmest of the trio and the one who constantly tries to keep Hazuki from getting in trouble.

I'll explain the other kids as the story progresses. Next chapter, we'll see the mysterious person Caout ran into. Please keep reading and I would love more reviews please!


	4. Anti Anti Hippie

Hey there! I don't think I'll be able to finish this story before I leave on vacation. But I'll see how far I get and then, when I come back, I give you plenty of chapters! So enjoy!

Disclaimer: Yeah...I don't own One Piece...

* * *

Caout stared, utterly confused, at the figure standing in front of her. When she had heard that voice, she had expected some big, scary and super menacing figure to be its owner. She thought she was about to face off against whoever "they" had sent after her.

She hadn't expected a little girl…

The girl looked to be just about Caout's age. She was standing several feet away from Caout, her hands on her hips and frowning. She had waist length pink hair tied back in a ponytail. She stared at Caout with her cerulean blue eyes, half closed as though she was tired. She had on an orange, sleeveless, knee length dress with a white bow around her waist. Around her neck was a silver chain, with a circular pendant hanging off of it. Caout stared curiously at the girl's arms. Her left arm had a scar in the middle that ran from the top of the arm all the way to her elbow. It looked as though someone had sliced her arm open at some point. In the middle of the upper half of her right arm was a decently sized gold band that clung snugly to her.

But what interested Caout the most about this girl was the fact that she was barefoot.

"Excuse me," the girl said dully, "Could you not stare at my feet? It's kind of weird."

"Sorry," Caout said, though she didn't stop staring, "Man, did you feel that wind? It blew me clear out of the tree! And now, it's so peaceful…"

"Mother Nature is unpredictable," the girl replied, still emotionless, "Plus, the higher up one is, the stronger the wind feels…"

"Huh…" Caout said as she looked up at the branch she fell from, "That would explain it…Good thing I didn't die!"

Caout laughed and then turned her face towards the girl. She was still frowning at her, her face looking like she couldn't care less about anything.

_She's a mystery girl..._ Caout thought. _So calm and cool…Weird._

"Now what are you staring at?" the girl asked, her voice still the same.

"Are you tired or something?" Caout asked, "You sound bored…And your eyes are half open."

"I feel perfectly fine," she responded, "Now, I'd like to know why you were eating the fruits in those trees. Don't you know that they belong to someone?"

"Yeah, I knew! The lady said I could have some."

"The key word there is some," the girl said, "You had a little more that some."

The girl motioned around her, pointing out the trees that Caout had stripped bare. Caout looked around and smiled sheepishly. Maybe she had taken advantage of the woman's offer…Just a little…

"It will take forever for these trees to replace those fruits," the girl said as she shook her head, "They have a lot of work ahead of them. And that woman lost a lot of revenue because you decided to be a pig…"

Caout growled at the girl. It was annoying enough that she was insulting her. But it was twice as bad because she was saying that with such a monotone voice!

"So who are you supposed to be, huh?" Caout asked, a little pissed off, "That lady's employee? Or maybe her daughter or something?"

"I'm an orphan. I'm nobody's daughter," the girl said bluntly.

Caout rubbed the back of her head, a little embarrassed.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said kind of nervously, "If it makes you feel better, I'm parentless too…I guess…sort of."

The girl looked Caout over. She took a few steps towards her. Caout tensed up a little, wondering what the girl was going to do. When she came within a couple feet of Caout, the girl stuck her arm out. Caout looked down at it curiously and back up at the girl's emotionless face.

"I'm Nyshairyn Tide," she said, "I'm eight years old."

Caout's eyes widened slightly from surprise. But she took the hand and gave the girl a firm handshake.

"The name's Listerra D. Caout! I'm eight, too!"

The girl named Tide broke her arm free of Caout's crushing grip. Caout smiled while Tide rubbed her hand.

"So…Ny-share-rin?" Caout enunciated slowly, "That's a pretty odd name, isn't it?"

"And 'List-terra' isn't a weird name?" the girl said back, also enunciating the name.

Okay, it was official now…Caout wasn't fond of this girl.

"Don't make fun of my name!" she shouted at Tide, "You know, just for that, I'm only going to call you Nyshairyn! Don't ever expect to hear your first name out of me!"

Caout turned away from Tide, her arms crossed in front of her.

"Very well then," Tide said, "I'll only call you Listerra."

"Fine, you weirdo Nyshairyn girl!" Caout said.

The silence between them lasted around ten seconds…

"So," Caout said suddenly, turning back around, "Why are you barefoot?"

"I like to feel the earth beneath my feet," Tide responded simply.

Caout looked at Tide…More like stared. She had a look of utmost concentration on her face, as though she was pondering something really important. Tide was about to ask what was going on when…

"I never thought one existed…" Caout said in awe, "So, I'm not sure what to call you…"

"What are you talking-?"

"You're a hippie…"

Tide stared dumbfounded at Caout. Well, one really couldn't tell she was dumbfounded. Her face was still blank…No emotion…But she was dumbfounded, alright!

"But you're not a hippie either," Caout said to herself.

Caout closed her eyes, apparently in an intense thinking mode. Tide half-expected smoke to start pouring out of the girl's ears. Then, Caout's eyes snapped open. She smiled broadly and clapped her hands together.

"I know!" she exclaimed, "You're an anti-anti-hippie!"

One could probably hear a pin drop from a mile away…Yeah, it was that quiet in that forest…

"'Anti-anti-hippie'?" Tide repeated slowly.

"Well, yeah!" Caout said, "You're not really a hippie…But you're not really an anti-hippie either. So, you are an anti-anti-hippie!"

"…You do realize the two 'anti's cancel each other out. So technically you're still calling me a hippie…"

Caout scoffed at Tide. What a stupid girl! She couldn't possibly understand the highly intricate logic behind the more than fitting term. How sad…Caout pitied her deeply.

Tide shook her head slowly. How in the world did she meet the most…unusual person on the planet? Sometimes, she felt that someone in heaven had it out for her…She truly did…Why else would all the crap that happened in her life have happened?

What a weirdo…Caout and Tide thought simultaneously. 

* * *

Somewhere on the waters, a few miles away from Garuka, was a decently sized boat. On this boat was a single man, lying on a chair, under the shade of an umbrella. He was humming softly to himself, a hand running through his greasy, almost white hair. If one would have seen him at that moment, one would probably be wondering the following: Why on earth is this man wearing a cloak on such a boiling hot day?

A familiar ring of a Den-Den Mushi broke the silence. The man lazily reached inside his cloak and pulled out the item.

"Reo," a voice said the second the man opened it, "Have you found that brat yet?"

"Sorry, Master," Reo said calmly, "I haven't run across her just yet."

"Damn it, Reo! You had better catch that bitch soon! I can't believe she was able to escape! Who knows how far she has gotten? She's been missing for a week!"

"Don't worry, Master," Reo said coolly, "I went to that island, Serafus. After all, it's closest to where we are so I would think she would head there first. I questioned everyone at the docks. A bunch of men said they saw a little girl fitting her description hopping inside a box and floating out to sea a few days earlier."

"A box? Great God, for all we know that kid is dead!"

"I wouldn't think so…After all, our little girl is pretty strong-willed. She is the Pirate King's daughter after all. She wouldn't get herself killed so easily."

"You had better be right…" the man known as Master growled darkly, "For your sake…"

Reo chuckled as he stowed the Den-Den Mushi back in his cloak. He was still surprised that the girl had managed to find a way out. Well, it was a clever ruse she pulled. And now he was on a retrieval mission…How amusing…

What was more amusing was how mad that man back on Serafus had gotten when he, Reo, had tried to take his boat. Said that that boat was his…That it was the boat he used to fish. He wouldn't be able to feed his family without it.

"I'm glad we finally came to an understanding…" Reo chuckled lowly.

If one looked closely at the bow of the ship, one might have noticed the stains on it…Dark stains that held a sickening odor. 

* * *

"Why are you following me?" Tide asked for the umpteenth time.

She had thought that she had seen Caout for the final time when they parted ways in the forest. It took her merely a moment to realize that the girl was following her. Tide was beginning to think she was dealing with a stalker…She stopped and turned to confront Caout, who also paused. While Tide gave her the same look as when they had first seen each other, Caout smiled widely.

"Sorry," Caout said, "But you seem to know your way around here. I'm hopeless…"

"So, you want me to lead you back to the village?"

"Actually, I was hoping you could tell me a way off this island…Free passage, preferably…"

Tide sighed. What was with this girl? She comes to an island and has no idea how to get off it? How stupid could she be?

"Well, the port near the village is only for fishing vessels so you won't have any luck there," Tide said, "If you want a ship to another island, you'll have to go to the other harbor. But that's on the other side of the island."

"So you'll take me there!" Caout said hopefully.

"No," Tide said flatly, starting to walk away again. Caout ran in front of her.

"C'mon, Nyshairyn!" Caout pleaded, "I won't be able to find my way there myself."

"I said no, Listerra. There's only one clear route to the harbor and I am in no mood to use it."

"Why not?" Caout whined.

"I have my reasons," Tide said softly as she walked around Caout. Next thing she knew, Caout had grabbed onto her leg.

"But I've got to get off this island soon! You've got lead me to that harbor! Don't bother trying to give me directions because I'm hopeless. Please, Nyshairyn!"

"You'll have to find someone else, Listerra" Tide grunted as she struggled to break free of Caout's grip.

As the two argued, a muffled sound was coming from within the forest. Tide motioned with her hand for Caout to shut up. They both listened carefully as the sound grew louder and louder. Tide froze when she recognized the noise…

The shouting of men…

* * *

WHOO! You guys met Tide, who is my favorite character. Here's a little bit about her. She's two months older than Caout and just a bit taller. She has pretty long hair as mentioned in the story. She's constantly blowing her bangs out of her eyes. She has some things going on with her that you will slowly discover...She always, always has her eyes half closed and her mouth in a slight frown...No matter what...And she constantly speaks in the monotone voice...That's how she is...sort of...

I hope you enjoyed and once again...PLEASE REVIEW!


	5. Revelations

Another update, yay! I want to thank the only person who's reviewing my story…I'm being perfectly honest when I say that you really are making me feel great about writing this. I also want to say something to those reading and not reviewing…PLEASE REVIEW! PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE! I would love to hear your opinions as well!

Disclaimer: Yes, I don't own One Piece…Stop reminding me! (Sobs in a corner…)

* * *

Caout and Tide listened quietly as the noise of the men drew nearer and nearer. Caout was happy. Maybe one of those men would be nice enough to lead her to the docks…Maybe they'd be nicer than this Nyshairyn jerk. Caout glanced over at Tide to tell her that she no longer required her services. Before Caout could say a word, Tide ran at the nearest tree. Caout watched, amazed, as Tide easily scaled up the gigantic tree. She disappeared into the foliage.

"What's up with _her_?" Caout muttered.

She spun around as the yelling of the men came to a stop. There stood a group of five men, armed with rather large guns. They were wearing Marine uniforms.

"You, girl!" a grey-haired man wearing the uniform of a Captain yelled, "Have you seen a girl who looks like this?"

The man handed Caout a picture. She looked and realized that it was a picture of Tide. Kind of blurry and a little shadowy but it was still her…Caout looked back at the man's fierce gaze.

"Who _is_ this girl?" she asked warily.

"That is none of your concern!" one of the younger Marines snapped.

"Now, now, Kushiro," the Marine Captain said, "We might as well warn this child about this dangerous girl…"

_Dangerous? _Caout thought.

"B-but, Captain Silver-" Kushiro began, only to be cut off by the Captain's cold glare.

"You see," Captain Silver began, "This girl is of a…frightening species."

Caout looked at Silver incredulously. Wasn't Tide a human? She looked like one…

"It is necessary that we catch her," Silver continued, "And bring her back to her proper habitat."

Caout frowned at the Captain. He was referring to Tide as though she was some animal. Caout concluded that she didn't really like this guy.

"Will you hurt her?" Caout asked.

"We will use any necessary force to capture her and keep the citizens safe."

"How do you know that she's here to begin with?"

"You ask a lot of questions, girl," another Marine said suspiciously, "Who are you anyway? Where are your folks?"

"I'm Caout and my parents are in the village," Caout replied without skipping a beat, "They're doing some shopping. I got bored so I decided to come out here to explore."

The Marine looked at Caout carefully but backed off. Silver continued explaining that he had heard rumors of a pink-haired girl hanging around this forest. They assumed it was the same pink-haired girl they were after.

"But what did she _do_?" Caout asked.

"You don't need to concern yourself with that," Silver said, "Now, be a good girl and tell us whatever you know…"

Caout discreetly glanced over at the tree that she had seen Tide climb up. So that girl was trouble, huh? She was wanted by the Marines? Then, there was only one thing to do…

"I saw her in the village a couple days ago," Caout said, pointing in the general direction of the village, "She seems to have the people there fooled into believing she's a normal kid…"

Silver barked orders at his men and the group ran off towards the village. Silver stopped briefly and looked back at Caout.

"You should get back to your parents before you get hurt," he said, "Don't worry…We'll warn the village all about that girl. She won't be able to bother them anymore."

Caout smiled widely and waved the man off. The second she was sure they were out of sight, she walked over to the tree that Tide was in. After a moment, Tide jumped down, landing on her feet. She looked at Caout, though Caout couldn't really tell what she was thinking since she showed no emotion.

"Why did you lie, Listerra?" Tide asked.

"Just because," Caout responded, "But you do realize what this means, don't you?"

Tide stared blankly as Caout gave her a mischievous smirk.

"Now, you owe me one! So, you can pay me off by taking me to those docks, Nyshairyn!"

"I don't think so," Tide responded, "I'll go back to the village…"

"You can't!" Caout said with a smile, "Thanks to my little tidbit of info, those Marines will tell that village all about you. You won't be welcomed in…"

Tide gave off a blizzard cold aura as she stared at Caout. What was she to do now? She had escaped one hell on the other half of this island, only to be confronted with another on this half. At this rate, she'd have to leave the island herself. She silently thought of a thousand ways to kill the Listerra girl. But she shook her head slowly. She blew some bangs out of her eyes and then stuck her hand out to Caout. Caout took it and shook it eagerly, that dumb smile still plastered on her face.

"So we have a deal?" she inquired.

"I have no choice thanks to you…" Tide murmured, "You won't leave me alone…"

Tide pinched the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger as Caout whooped and cheered. She ran about happily. Tide was amazed, though she didn't show it, at the amount of energy the girl had.

"C'mon, Nyshairyn!" she called as she ran down the path, "Let's go to those docks!"

"…You're heading for the village, Listerra…" Tide called after her.

What a fix she had gotten herself into…

* * *

A couple miles away, on the island of Serafus, the Thousand Sunny had come to port. They caused as much commotion as any famous pirate ship would. While people were bothered by their presence, they didn't dare mess with the crew whose leader was the Pirate King. The Straw Hat Pirates needed some supplies so they split up. Tamaki, Sky and Anna decided to join the adults on their shopping expedition. The rest of the kids, along with Brook, Franky and Chopper, were given the responsibility of guarding the ship.

"Annetoinette," Usopp called to his daughter, "Be a good girl and don't cause trouble!"

"When have I ever caused problems, Dad?" Annetoinette called back.

"Don't worry," Franky yelled as he jumped up on the railing and struck a pose, "These kids are in my hands. Nothing can happen to them with me around!"

_He's such a freak…_the kids thought at the same time.

On the other end of the Sunny, Hazuki stared at the waters absentmindedly. She was still kind of mad at her dad so she hadn't said goodbye. She sighed pathetically as a figure came up to her.

"What's up with you, Haz?"

Hazuki turned to see Kuina looking at her with her black eyes. Kuina had green hair like Zoro. Her hair was in a boyish style and she had a red clip holding back some of the bangs on the right side of her face. She wore a simple white t-shirt and blue jeans with a chain hanging off the side. On her left hip were her two priceless treasures: her two fencing swords.

"Hey, Kuina," Hazuki moaned, "I'm fine…"

"Yeah, because most people look like the world is a disappointment to them when they're feeling fine…"

Hazuki and Kuina glared at each other until Hazuki finally conceded.

"It's just…It would be nice to actually act like a pirate," she said, "You know, not having to hide or being confined to any one place…"

Kuina leaned against the railing of the ship, her hand resting causally on her swords. She looked up at the sky and back down at Hazuki, who had resumed staring at the ocean. How hard it must be…Sailing on these vast, endless waters, being surrounded by those who are not tied down to anything or any place…Sailing beneath these never-ending skies…and not having freedom.

"Don't worry," Kuina said, "One day thing will change for you…"

"It's all that stupid Caout's fault!" Hazuki said, growling.

Kuina didn't remember Caout…None of the kids did. After all, they were all infants when Caout had been taken from them.

"You shouldn't say that, Haz," Kuina said after a moment, "She's your big sister. Plus, she didn't leave this ship of her own free will. You can't blame Luffy for being scared of having the same thing happen to you."

Hazuki hated it when her friends made her feel bad about being mad at Caout. Kuina smirked and ruffled Hazuki's hair. Hazuki watched as she walked off, probably to work on her unique sword fighting style.

* * *

A couple hours passed and nothing happened. It was painfully boring, waiting for the others to return. Franky, Chopper and Brook tried to entertain the kids by showing them this really strange dance involving straw baskets and chopsticks stuck in their noses. It grossed the girls out more than entertain them. Brook played a beautiful melody on his violin, which ended up making the girls feel sleepy. Hazuki snuck away as Kuina and Annetoinette dozed off. She looked over at the waters.

"This sucks…" she yawned.

Suddenly, she saw something rather odd. It looked like a shirt. Hazuki assumed some idiot tossed it into the water. As she watched the shirt with mild interest, horror washed over her.

There was still someone wearing the shirt…

"YOU GUYS!" Hazuki yelled.

It had taken some time to get the man onto the ship. Time was wasted when Brook and Chopper, who got into the moment, jumped into the water to grab the man. Franky had to drag the two Devil Fruit users out, who were both pummeled by the girls the second they hit the deck for being so stupid.

Franky brought the man onto the deck, though it was obvious that he was far beyond saving. His corpse was starting to waste away, partially due to time in the water. Hazuki and Annetoinette couldn't bear to watch the body. Kuina couldn't blame them…They had never seen a dead body before.

"Franky…Brook…" Chopper said darkly, "Come here."

"What is it, Chopper?" Brook asked as he and Franky kneeled down.

"Look at these wounds…Don't they look very familiar?"

The men looked carefully at the wounds. If one didn't look too closely at the body, one would see what looked like normal slash marks…Most likely from a sword fight. But, upon closer inspection, one would probably notice some strange markings around each wound. They were black swirls, small and discreet…Not the result of blood. Not the result of anything normal…

"It can't be…" Franky gasped out.

"They're exactly the same as…" Brook said.

"Exactly," Chopper said, his voice trembling, "They're the same as _our_ wounds…from _that_ _night_…"

"What are you guys talking about?" Kuina asked, coming up behind them.

"Kuina," Franky said, "You, Haz and Annetoinette go into town and get the others. Tell them it's serious and to get here fast…"

Kuina was about to protest when she saw how grim the guys' faces looked. She quickly grabbed Hazuki and Annetoinette and the three of them ran about the village.

* * *

It took a while, since the others were separated, but the girls located most of the crew and sent them back to the ship. The only ones left were Luffy, Ace and Ayrel. The girls looked all over.

"Damn it!" Annetoinette said as they stopped to catch their breaths, "Where are those three?"

Finally, they spotted the trio coming out of a shop, their arms loaded with supplies for the kitchen. The girls ran towards them, all talking at once.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Ayrel said, stopping them, "One at a time!"

"We found a body near the ship!" Annetoinette said.

"Franky said to get everyone back to the ship!" Hazuki added, "He said it was serious!"

"Why would a random body be of importance to us?" Ace wondered.

"I overheard Chopper, Brook and Franky," Kuina said, "They said something about the wounds on that man…That they looked like the wounds they received from 'that night'?"

Luffy, Ace and Ayrel turned white as sheets. They bolted towards the ship. It took the girls all they had to keep the trio in sight.

Hazuki, Kuina and Annetoinette looked at each other and wondered the same thing.

What secrets would this dead body reveal?

* * *

It was fun writing this chapter… What secrets will the body reveal? You'll have to find out next chapter!

So, you guys have now met Kuina, Zoro and Ayrel's daughter. Kuina is the oldest of the kids. She is twelve minutes older than Sky. She seems to be a bit of a tomboy. She's pretty cute but due to her short hair and boyish clothes and love of swords, she's often mistaken for a guy. But she doesn't care. Kuina fights using a unique sword style with her fencing swords, known as the Templar Style. But that's a story for another time! She's everyone's big sister in a way and takes after Zoro.

I hope you all enjoyed this and please review! Please? Don't make me get down on my hands and knees and beg…


	6. Getting To Know You

Next chapter! Okay, looks like my threat to beg didn't persuade anyone else to review. So now, I shall do it… (Gets down on hands and knees and bows deeply) PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE REVIEW! (Gets up quickly) Alright, that's over with…

Looks like you'll have to wait another chapter for the secrets behind the body…I felt I needed to make a little more progress with Caout and Tide's portion of the story so I devoted this chapter to them.

Disclaimer: NO, I DON'T OWN ONE PIECE!

* * *

It took Tide all she had to keep from strangling Caout…

Caout was currently poking and prodding her. She pulled Tide's skin and occasionally pinched her. She would yank her ponytail and walk all around her, looking curious.

"What is wrong with you?" Tide finally asked after being pinched for the hundredth time.

"Hmm…" was Caout's answer, "You act human…"

"What are you talking about?"

"That Marine guy," Caout began to explain, "He said that you belonged to a scary species…I'm trying to find out what about you makes you different from a human."

Tide rolled her eyes at Caout. But Caout didn't notice, still poking and looking around for anything out of the ordinary.

"Nope, you're human!" Caout finally concluded.

After solving that issue, Caout finally took notice of her surroundings. She and Tide were heading down a worn down path, deeper and deeper into the forest. Tide stated that this was the only path that will lead to the other side of the island.

"Since Garuka is so damn big," Tide explained, "It'll take a few days to actually get to those docks…I hope you're up for the exercise…"

"Days?" Caout exclaimed, "Man, I was hoping it wouldn't take that long…Oh, well…"

An awkward silence formed between the two of them after that. Well, the silence was awkward for Caout at least. Tide was actually okay with the break from Caout's seemingly endless chatter.

"You know, Nyshairyn," Caout said, spoiling the moment for Tide, "If we're going to be spending a few days together, we might as well learn more about each other, don't you think?"

"You know my name and I know yours," Tide said, "That is all you really need to know. We aren't friends…"

Caout started whining. She stated that it was stupid if two people who are stuck together for a long time only know each other's names. After about a minute of hearing her complain, Tide conceded…At least to save her ears from more torment.

"Fine, what do you want to know?" she asked.

"Well…how about what happened to your folks?" Caout responded.

"…You're not very sensitive, are you, Listerra?"

Caout just looked at her, her face full of puzzlement. Tide sighed at the girl's stupidity.

"My mother died giving birth to me," Tide finally replied, "My father died a few years after that...That's all I'm telling you...What about you?"

"Truth be told," Caout said, "I'm not sure where my parents are. I've been without them ever since I was a baby."

"So, the purpose behind your desire for a boat…?"

"I'm looking for them…"

Tide thought Caout had an odd expression on her face when she said that. But she dismissed it. Whatever it was, if it was anything, was none of her concern. She's just there to drop the kid off at the docks and that's all.

"Okay, my turn!" Caout said excitedly, as if it was a game, "…What's up with you?"

Tide looked over her shoulder at the girl, her eyebrow raised. What kind of question was that?

"I mean, why did that Marine guy talk about you like you weren't normal?" Caout clarified.

Tide stopped walking and turned around fully to face Caout. Caout stopped as well and had a look of full attention on her face.

"That is none of your concern," Tide said lowly, "Think of something else."

"C'mon, you can tell me!" Caout insisted, "I'm great at keeping secrets!"

"I said it doesn't concern you," Tide repeated. Caout noticed that the wind was picking up ever so slightly.

"That guy said that you were dangerous…That you didn't belong here. What was he talking about, Nyshairyn? You can tell me! I won't say a word!"

"Your word means nothing," Tide growled as the wind started blowing.

"Man, this wind is crazy," Caout muttered to herself before adding aloud, "Nyshairyn, there's no way it's that bad."

Caout stopped as Tide marched straight up to her. She stopped within an inch of Caout and grabbed her roughly by her tie. A shiver ran down Caout's spine.

"You have no right to say that…" she said in a dark tone, "None at all…"

Tide and Caout stared at each other for another minute before Tide released her. She spun around and walked off at a quick pace. Caout stared after her for a moment before going after her. The wind had died down again… 

* * *

The next few hours were spent in absolute silence. Caout furrowed her brow and crossed her arms in front of her.

What was with the Nyshairyn kid? She couldn't figure her out. She seemed human enough…But that man said otherwise…Plus, Caout was starting to wonder if the girl was connected with the wind in some sort of way. She didn't know…She wanted to find out though.

But she was short on time. She needed to get off this island as quickly as possible. She had to keep going from island to island until she was sure. Sure that no one was following…Then, she could get serious about finding her parents…

As she thought about them, Caout took off her cowboy hat. She looked at it as she turned it this way and that in her hands. This hat…She had it since forever. "They" told her she was clutching onto it ever since the first day she arrived at-

Caout shook her head and placed her hat back in its normal position of hanging off her neck by the string. Why was she thinking about "that place"? She wanted to get rid of any old memories that she had. That place…That hell…

Caout fell back as she bumped into something. She looked up and saw that Tide had stopped in her tracks without warning her. Caout got up quickly, ready to yell at her. But she looked ahead and saw what had stopped Tide.

A couple of men stood further down the path. They were dressed shabbily and were filthy. They leered at the girls, who were a mere ten feet away.

"Hey man," the taller guy said, elbowing the other man, "Check it out…Two lost kittens."

"Yeah…" the other guy slurred, "Pretty cute kittens…"

Oh great, they're drunk…Tide thought with disgust as the men stumbled closer.

"Why don't you pretty girls come with us?" the first man asked, "It's dangerous being out here in the forest all alone…"

"I know my way around here," Tide said blandly, "I won't get us lost. We appreciate your concern though."

"Hey now, little lady," the second guy laughed, "Don't be afraid of us. We're perfectly harmless. Trust us."

Tide scoffed and rolled her eyes at them. It looked like she and Caout would have to go through the forest to avoid these pests.

"Be good girls and come here, now," the second guy called, as if he was talking to some animal, "This place is full of terrifying creatures…And you are little girls…"

"Yeah," the first man agreed, "You two can't possibly be strong enough to handle the monsters that lurk around here…"

The men stumbled even closer; they were less than five feet away. Tide started stepping backwards, pushing Caout along with her. But Caout just pushed Tide aside and started walking towards the men.

"What the hell are you doing, Listerra?" Tide called out in disbelief.

Caout didn't respond, she just continued to glare at the guys. She stopped, making the gap between herself and the men a little less than a foot.

The fool! Tide thought. She's making herself an easy target!

"See, girl?" the first man said to Tide, "Why can't you be more willing like this one?"

He moved to place his hand on Caout's shoulder. Caout took a quick step back and placed a hand on the hair covering the left side of her neck. She hesitated momentarily before pulling back the hair. Tide moved a little to see what Caout was showing.

There, running the entire length of the left side of Caout's neck, was a single scar. Long and dark…poorly healed…Tide could tell, even though she was a bit away from Caout, that the wound that made that scar was a deep one…A wound that probably should have been fatal…

"See this?" Caout said softly, "This is proof that I can handle any monster that comes after me now…And look at Nyshairyn's left arm. I don't know what made that scar…But it's proof of her strength as well…"

Caout let her hair fall back into place, covering her scar. She cracked her knuckles loudly.

"Don't underestimate us just because we're girls…or because we're kids," she said with a smirk.

The men looked at each other and started laughing hysterically. Caout was a bit weirded out but she was ready to handle these guys. They stopped and started advancing on Caout, wearing wicked smiles on their faces. Caout got her hands balled up into fists. But before she did anything, the men were thrown back…As if an invisible person tackled them.

Or a random gust of wind…

Caout snapped her head around and saw Tide with her hand outstretched. She walked to where Caout stood and looked over at the men.

"Alright, Listerra," she said, "You're going to see what makes me inhuman…"

Caout just watched as Tide ran at the men. She was pretty fast. As one of the guys staggered to his feet, Tide went into a no-handed forward flip and kicked him in the chest. She landed on her hands and, using her arms, spun around like a top. She nailed the other guy in the stomach. She then pushed off the ground and landed on her feet.

"What the hell is she?" one of the guys said.

"C'mon! We can't let that brat beat us!" the other yelled.

Tide quickly ran at the men before they could prepare themselves. She jumped up an impressive height and dealt two brutal punches to their faces, blows that sent them flying back.

"How about I blow you away?" Tide said, raising her arm as the men stood up.

Caout stared, amazed, as she felt wind being pulled towards Tide's hand. It swirled around her hand, growing in power.

With a grunt, Tide threw the swirling ball of wind at the men. The second it made contact, it turned into a mini-tornado. The men spun around before dropping to the ground like a ton of bricks.

"Now for a final blow," Tide said.

She pulled her arm back, in the same position a person about to punch would, and then thrusted it forward. Caout thought another ball of air would show up.

Instead, she watched as a beam of reddish-orange flames collided with the men. The men screamed from the pain. Tide put her arm down quickly. The men, badly burned but alive, ran off, crying and yelling something about a demon.

Caout slowly walked over to Tide in shock. When she got there, Tide was staring at her arm, growling fiercely.

"Damn it all!" she hissed, "Why is it that always happens when I don't want it to? It never works when I actually need it!"

Tide sighed deeply and looked up to see Caout's wide eyes and open mouth. Tide waited, her face revealing nothing…

"…What…the…hell…?" Caout finally said.

* * *

Well, now you see why Tide isn't considered a human by Silver. And Caout has some strange wound on her neck, huh? So many questions….

One thing I want to note about Tide and "her kind". They have different eyes than other One Piece characters. Other One Piece characters have single colored eyes and their pupils are only shown when they're mad or upset, right? Tide's "kind" has their pupils shown at all times. These big, cute, anime eyes…It's the easiest way to tell "her kind" apart from other people.

I hope you enjoyed and, once again, please review!


	7. Something Stolen

I'm sure I threw many of you off by not updating yesterday…Sorry! I was writing this story for a good friend of mine. By the way, I most likely won't be able to update on Saturday. I'm going on this day trip with my folks and my kid brother.

I hope you all enjoy!

Disclaimer: Still not owning One Piece…Still not owning One Piece… (Repeats phrase seven hundred times)…

* * *

Back on Serafus, the atmosphere onboard the Thousand Sunny was dark. Chopper had laid the mysterious man's body in the middle of the deck. The rest of the crew stood in a circle around it. They had all taken a close look at the body. They all agreed…

Those marks _looked_ the same…But they had to be sure.

"It's a good thing I took pictures of our wounds from that fight," Chopper said, "Otherwise we would have nothing to compare these marks to."

Chopper had photographed the injuries in the hopes of studying the marks.

"So, let's get to work," Usopp said softly, "We're wasting time…"

The pirates nodded at each other and moved towards the body.

"Hold on…Don't touch it yet…"

The crew stopped and turned to face the boy who had spoken. The wind played with his brown hair, his dark brown eyes looked troubled. He wore a dark green shirt with a black dragon on it and casual blue jeans. Like his mother, he wore a pouch that was wrapped around his lower left leg. This pouch contained his beloved sketchbook. Also, like his mother, he had the powers of the Spark-Spark Fruit…

"Sky, what are you talking about?" Zoro asked his son.

"I'm saying," Sky said, "We really shouldn't mess with this body without permission. Think about it…This guy must have family on the island somewhere. It would be cruel to just examine the body without talking to the guy's family first."

"Sky, there's no certainty that this man is even from _this_ island."

"Actually, it's pretty definite that he is."

Crouching over the body, a serious look on his face, was Tamaki. He brushed his blonde bangs out of his black eyes. He was wearing a dark red dress shirt and black pants. Tamaki took after his father in terms of looks and power but he had his mother's love of books and archaeology. He was someone with a keen eye for detail.

"Look at this emblem," Tamaki said, pointing at the right sleeve of the man's shirt.

The crew stepped closer. It was a small symbol…A simple design of a red, orange and violet colored fish with a hook above it. How was that going to help anyone?

"This fish is supposed to represent the Sunset Sea Trout," Tamaki explained, "It is named such for its coloring, which strongly resembles the sky at sunset-"

"Shut up and get to the point, _Tama-chan_!" Kuina yelled.

Tamaki's eye twitched. He looked over at the green-haired girl who was glaring at him.

"Didn't I tell you not to call me that…._Raper_?" Tamaki growled in response.

Kuina started to draw out her two swords.

"I told you never to call me that again!" she responded, "It was a simple mistake I made four years ago! Got that, Tama-chan….?"

"Whatever you say," Tamaki said, adding under his breath, "Raper…"

"Alright, now!" Sky said nervously, running in-between the two incredibly pissed off kids, "This is not the time for this, you guys!"

Sky sighed in relief when Kuina and Tamaki scoffed and turned away from each other. Poor Sky…He was always stuck trying to stop the thousands of feuds between his sister and his best friend.

_They do take after Dad and Sanji, after all…_Sky thought to himself. _Of course they'd fight so much._

"As I was saying, before being so rudely interrupted," Tamaki said, giving Kuina an evil glare, "The Sunset Sea Trout is a very rare fish…Indigenous only to the waters surrounding this island. I read somewhere that because this fish is so rare, the people of Serafus treat the species with the utmost respect. Some get tattoos or other markings of the fish to show how much the fish mean to them."

"Plus," Tamaki continued, "Look at these lures on the guy's belt…They are all engraved with the mark of the same company."

Sky bent down and checked out the lures. Tamaki was right…Each of the lures read "Balik's Tackle Shop". The name sounded familiar…

"We passed that shop in town, didn't we?" Sky asked Tamaki.

"Bingo," Tamaki said, clapping his friend on the back, "Based on how new these lures appear, this man must have gone to the shop no more than a four days ago."

"So if we go to the shop now," Sky added, "Then, maybe the owner may still remember this man and know where his family is!"

Robin patted her son's head, stating how proud she was at his deduction. Tamaki beamed while Kuina rolled her eyes. The rest of the adults looked at each other. It was a long shot but still…

"There's no guarantee that the owner will know this fellow," Franky said, "And even if he did, there's no way he'd tell a bunch of infamous pirates where the family lived…"

"Even if we did find our way to the family," Sanji said, "There's only a fifty-fifty shot of them allowing us to examine the body…They may even think that _we_ killed him…"

"If they don't let us take a look at this man," Brook said solemnly, "We'd be losing probably our last chance at finding that cloaked man…"

The crew frowned…What were they going to do?

"…Let's get going…"

The others turned to see Luffy jumping off the ship and onto the dock.

"Hold on, Luffy!" Nami yelled after him.

"We're coming too!" Ace said.

"Alright, you two can come," Luffy said, "The rest of you stay onboard with the kids. Ace! Bring that man and a tarp with you!"

After grabbing the body and a large tarp, the aforementioned crewmates jumped onto the dock.

"Luffy, didn't you hear?" Nami asked, "There's very little to no chance that-"

"Nami…" Luffy interrupted, "This man has the same exact marking as the ones we received from those damn demons eight years ago…He faced off against that cloaked bastard and wasn't as lucky as we were. Those marks prove that guy was here at some point."

"Based on the decomposition of the corpse, that man was probably here very recently," Ace added, said corpse hanging off his shoulder.

"Exactly," Luffy said, "He couldn't have gotten too far from here. If we find that guy now, then…maybe…"

Luffy's voice trailed off but Nami knew what he would've said.

"Maybe we can find out where Caout is," she said softly, "…Okay…Let's try this."

"But still, Luffy," Ace said, "What if they say no?"

"…They'll say yes," Luffy whispered, "I'm sure they'll say yes, Ace. They have to…"

Ace sighed and wrapped the man in the tarp. After all, they would have garnered too much attention if they walked around with a dead guy in plain sight.

It was time to find the shop…Balik's Tackle Shop…

* * *

Meanwhile, still several miles away from Garuka…

"Another day of sailing and I'll be there…" Reo said as he looked at a map from under the shade of an umbrella.

Reo wished that he could teleport to the damn island and save himself the time. But he knew very well that teleporting took too much energy…Energy he should save for when he really needed it. Plus, it wasn't like he could teleport _now_ of all times…

"Oh, Caout…" Reo said, "You just _had_ to cause all this trouble by running away, didn't you?"

It was all that cheeky little rubber bitch's fault he was doing this…Though the guards back there should have known better than to let her out. He'd probably be made to deal with them later, if the Master hadn't already done so…

"Well, Caout," Reo growled lowly, "I hope you enjoyed your taste of freedom…Because I'm going to get you and bring you back…And by the time the Master's done with punishing you…"

Reo chuckled darkly at the thought. He hoped he would receive the pleasure of watching Caout's punishment…After all; running away from "there" was a serious offense.

_Very, very serious_…

* * *

"Where is that place…?" Nami wondered.

She, Luffy and Ace had been wandering about the village for who knows how long. The tarp that Ace was carrying was receiving plenty of attention…But no one had asked about it yet so all was good.

"Hold on, is that it?" Ace asked, pointing at a small shop.

They noticed a sign that said "Balik's Tackle Shop" hanging near the window of the store. They went up to the front door.

"I'm coming," a sweet voice answered when Luffy knocked. A woman with short auburn hair opened the door, "Yes, how may I help you?"

"May we come in?" Luffy asked politely, "We have something we would like to ask you."

"AAAAHHHHH!"

Luffy and Nami were shocked by the woman's sudden scream.

"W-we're not going to hurt you or anything!" Nami said quickly.

The woman pointed right behind them. Luffy and Nami looked and saw, lying with his face in the dirt, was Ace. The tarp was on his back.

"T-that m-m-man…" the woman shuddered, "H-he's-"

"Don't worry," Luffy said calmly, "That's my big brother. This is normal for him…"

The woman looked at Luffy incredulously. Luffy put a finger to his lips to tell her to be silent and pointed at his brother. The woman listened and started laughing after a moment. Ace was snoring...

After spending ten minutes waking up Ace, the woman, named Balik Marina, allowed the trio inside. The pirates looked around, noticing how small yet welcoming this little shop was. Over in the corner, a little boy was playing with a toy train.

"Mommy, who are they?" the boy asked.

"They're just some guests, Jonah," Marina answered, "Would you three like some tea?"

"No, thank you, ma'am," Nami answered.

As she and Marina started talking, Ace looked over at a small desk near Jonah. On top of the desk was a photo frame.

"Luffy," Ace said, elbowing his brother in the ribs, "Check out the photo."

Luffy looked and his eyes gradually grew wider. He and Ace shared the same look.

"Ma'am," Ace said, "We need to tell you something."

"Of course!" Marina said cheerfully, "Go right ahead."

"…Could you send your son out of the room first?"

Marina looked confused and asked if it was necessary. When she saw how serious Ace's face looked, she complied. It took a moment but Marina convinced Jonah to play in his room for awhile.

"Well, now that that's done would you mind telling me what's going on here?" Marina asked, her hands on her hips.

Nami pulled Marina over to the nearby couch and sat her down.

"I'm sorry about this…" Luffy said first of all, "Truly…"

* * *

For God knows how long, Nami had her arms wrapped around the screaming and sobbing Marina. Luffy and Ace stood silently, not looking at the pair. Instead they focused their attention on the picture on the desk. The same shirt, same hair, same skin tone…This was their guy. Marina had confirmed it within seconds.

Luffy reacted quickly when little Jonah had left his room to see what the commotion was. He took the protesting child back to his room and barricaded the door with another desk. After all, the last thing Luffy wanted was for the kid to see the partially rotting body of his old man lying in the middle of the floor.

It took a little while longer but Marina calmed down. She went over to the desk and held the picture of her husband close to her chest.

"Jacob…" she muttered, "Jacob….Jacob…."

She sat back down and looked up at the face of the young man with the straw hat.

"What happened to him?" she cried.

"…We're pretty sure we know," Luffy began slowly, "But we need to make sure…"

"Marina," Nami said, "We're going to ask you something…It's a big favor…"

Marina turned slowly towards Nami. Her eyes were red and puffy, tears cascading from them.

"There's no easy way to ask this…Could we persuade you…to let us examine your husband…?"

That question launched Marina into another fit of hysterics.

"WHAT FOR? Why, in the name of all that's holy, do you need to _examine_ my Jacob? Isn't it obvious that _he's dead_? Unless…"

Marina darted her eyes between Nami and the boys. She got up quickly and backed into a corner of the room.

"_You_ were the ones who killed him…" Marina whispered, "You want the body so you can get rid of any evidence…"

"Marina," Nami said, standing up, "We didn't kill Jacob. We found his body."

"That's what you _want_ me to think…You savages…Do you _enjoy_ killing innocent people? Jacob was a hard-working man who did his best to provide for us! And you _killed_ him like he was _nothing_!"

"Marina, listen to us!" Ace pleaded, "We didn't do this! But we know who did! If you'd just listen to us-"

"GET AWAY!" Marina screeched, backing into the wall as if she was a trapped animal, "Get out of here you bloodthirsty animals! As if I'd believe you! You killed him! You killed him…You killed him! How could you?"

Without a word, Luffy marched up to Marina. He grabbed her arms roughly to stop her from hitting him. She screamed and cried for another few minutes until she finally looked at his face.

"Marina…" he said sternly, "We _did not_ kill your husband…We merely found him floating near our ship. The man who killed him is still out there. If you let us look over the body, it could help us find him. We know what you're going through…"

"Yeah, right…" Marina scoffed, spitting in Luffy's face, "You filthy lying bastard…You don't have a _clue_ as to how I'm feeling…"

"You think I don't? The spawn of a demon that did that to your husband did something just as bad to me."

"Oh, please…_What could he have taken from you? Some jewels? Money, perhaps_?"

"…My daughter…He took my daughter…"

Marina suddenly lost half of the emotion that she felt towards Luffy. Luffy's grip on Marina's arm loosened considerably. Marina looked over at Nami, whose face was in her hands. She was trembling. Ace put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Marina," Luffy said, "That son of a bitch stole your husband from you. He stole Jonah's father. He stole my daughter. And he's probably stolen loved ones from countless others…"

Luffy let go of Marina and, in a shocking move to her, got down on his hands and knees and bowed down before her.

"I'm begging you…" he whispered, "If you let us examine Jacob's body, we could find out how long ago that man was here. We could probably figure out where he could have gone…We could prevent others from going through this pain!"

Marina looked over at Ace and Nami, who had both followed Luffy's example. Marina slowly kneeled down and touched Luffy's back. Luffy got up on his knees.

"How long ago was your daughter taken…?" she asked.

"…Eight years ago…" he answered.

"And you're still searching? Even though it may be hopeless?"

"People tell me I have too much faith in the impossible…"

Marina and Luffy locked eyes for a few moments.

"…Alright…I will allow you to examine him…"

The three pirates rose to their feet along with Marina, thanking her.

"However," Marina added, "Can you do it here? I just want to make sure I know what you'll do to him…"

"Of course," Nami said, clasping Marina's hands, "Thank you…Thank you so much…"

"I'll go get Chopper and Robin," Ace said.

It was time to find out what answers the body would provide…

* * *

This is my longest chapter so far…Whoo! So you guys were introduced to the final two kids of the group…Sky and Tamaki…

Sky, as mentioned in other chapters, is Kuina's younger twin. He takes after his mother, Ayrel. Like Ayrel, Sky loves to draw and is incredibly talented at it. I forgot to mention this when I introduced Ayrel but she carries her logbook in a pouch that's attached to her leg. Sky has picked up this habit. Sky is the second oldest of the kids but he is also the second shortest, the shortest being Hazuki. Sky is really sweet and is constantly breaking up fights between Kuina and Tamaki. He has Ayrel's Spark-Spark Fruit powers.

Tamaki is Anna's big brother, Sky's best friend and Kuina's arch-enemy. No, he does not have Sanji's curly eyebrow. While Anna looks like Robin and acts like Sanji, Tamaki looks like Sanji and acts like Robin. Tamaki loves a good book and archaeology. He was trained by his dad to fight with kicks but there is an interesting story that goes with that…Tamaki is pretty intelligent. Tamaki and Kuina have fought since forever. It's how they are…

Kuina calls Tamaki "Tama-chan" because she knows how much he hates the cute nicknames. Tamaki's nickname for Kuina, "Raper", isn't really that bad. There's a story behind that. But that's for another time.

I hope you guys enjoyed and please keep reviewing! The reviews can be anonymous if you want! I'm allowing that!


	8. Partners and Corpses

Before I begin this chapter, I'm sure a bunch of you are probably wondering how old the adults of the Straw Hat crew are. Well, Luffy is 29 years old as of this story. That should help you out somewhat.

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece…Love it, but don't own it…

* * *

"What was that? What was that? What was that?"

Tide put her hands over her aching ears as Caout asked her that question over and over again. Tide had expected Caout to run away in fear after witnessing that fight. But no…Caout had this sparkle in her eyes and shouted about how awesome that was.

She truly was the strangest girl Tide had ever met.

"Nyshairyn, that was freakin' incredible!" Caout exclaimed with stars in her eyes, "How'd you do that, huh? Are you a Devil Fruit user? Or maybe you're a wizard…? That would be so damn cool! A real, live wizard!"

"I'm not a wizard, Listerra!" Tide said to the overly energetic girl, "Stupid cowgirl wannabe…"

"Then, how did you shoot out air and fire?"

Tide crossed her arms in front of her and looked at Caout closely. Caout had her hands clasped together and her eyes were twinkling with anticipation.

"Do you really want to know that badly?" Tide asked.

Caout nodded with enough force to probably throw her head off her neck. Tide sighed and motioned for Caout to sit on a nearby log, which she did. Tide joined her.

"You remember how that Marine Captain told you I was part of a dangerous race?" Tide began, "Well, he was right to a certain degree…"

"You see how my eyes look different than most people's eyes?" Tide asked as she pointed to her eyes. Caout nodded slightly, "That's the easiest way people can tell what I am…It's a key trait that every pure blooded member of my race has…And some of the half blooded ones too..."

Tide took a deep breath before she continued.

"My secret is…that I am…an Elementist…"

Tide waited for the normal reaction she got when people figured out what she was. She waited…and waited…She looked over at Caout, whose eyebrows were furrowed and whose mouth was in a frown.

"…What's an Elementist?" she asked, tilting her head slightly.

Tide's jaw dropped…

"Were you raised in a cave?" she asked, "How can you not know what an Elementist is?"

"I haven't had the best life in the world," Caout shrugged.

Tide sighed and shook her head…She figured this girl to not be the brightest bulb out there. But she hadn't figured her to be this dense.

"Okay, I'll explain this as simply as possible," Tide said after a moment, "Elementists look human enough…Our eyes are different but other than that we look like average people. But, unlike normal humans, Elementists were granted unique abilities."

Tide paused to make sure that Caout was following. Caout motioned with her hand impatiently, wanting Tide to continue.

"You see, Elementists can control the four basic elements…Earth, water, air and fire. No Elementist controls all four. We either control one or two. For those who control two, they either control the pairing of fire and air or the pairing of water and earth."

"So you control fire and air," Caout stated, remembering the battle from moments ago.

"Exactly," Tide said, "Though I can't really control my fire well. I can handle air just fine. But, for some reason, I can't take control of my fire. When I want it to show up it doesn't, but when I don't need it, it will come out full force. It's really annoying…"

Tide growled in frustration. After all these years, she still couldn't control one of her elements. It was utterly pathetic…Elementists half her age who control two elements can handle themselves just fine…

"What was that Marine guy talking about when he said this island wasn't your 'habitat'?" Caout asked, snapping Tide out of her thoughts.

"There is a certain group of islands, known as the Rift Islandsm where, for the most part, only Elementists live. That's where people think my race should stay. But many of us wander around and travel the world despite that."

"So, how come you guys are considered dangerous by the Marines?"

"It's not just the Marines…" Tide answered, "Everyone thinks we're dangerous. Elementists are a hated race…Creatures who shouldn't exist. We're feared world over because of our strange abilities…"

"Well, a friend of mine once said that people tend to fear things they don't know about. But, why would they hate you so much? I mean, Devil Fruit users have weird, not normal powers too. But they're not all feared or looked down upon…"

"Listerra, people know where Devil Fruit users got their powers from…People know of the existence of those fruits. But Elementists have their powers since birth. No one knows where they came from or why we have them. That's why they're scared of us…We're considered to be even bigger freaks than Devil Fruit users…They call us demons straight from the pits of hell."

Caout looked at Tide, who had turned away from her. Being hated for being born to a certain people. How hard must that be? It's not the Elementists' fault for being born a certain way. It's just how life ended up playing out for them. That's the card they were dealt.

"So?" Tide's voice said, "You can go away now. Go and find another guide to the docks…"

"Wait, you're not going to take me there anymore?" Caout asked, standing up quickly, "If that was the case I'd have never asked you to tell about yourself, Nyshairyn!"

Tide stood up as well.

"Don't you want to get away from me? I told you what I am, didn't I?"

"…And I should care because…?"

"You should care because I'm a demon!" Tide said, "I'm hated all over the world. If people see you with me, do you know how much danger you'd be in?"

"I don't give a damn. You're my guide and that's final, Nyshairyn!"

"Listerra, you don't get it. There is more to me than what I told you. I'm not just hated by normal people. Most of my own race hates me too!"

"What for?" Caout asked, shocked, "Why would your own people hate you? That's just stupid!"

"It's a long story but the fact remains that I'm someone you should not be with. So go back to the village and find yourself another guide. Or better yet, let me tell you where to go from here. If you're so damn forgetful as you claim, I'll write the directions down somewhere. I'll find some bark and something to write with…"

Tide's eyes remained half closed and her mouth was still in a frown as she said all this. She was still emotionless as far as her face went. But Caout wasn't as big of a fool as Tide thought. She could hear what Tide's voice was trying so desperately to suppress.

"You know, Nyshairyn," Caout began softly, "I don't know what you're going through. I don't know what went on in your past. But…I know what it feels like to be alone…to be hated."

"See these bandages on my hand?" Caout asked, pointing to her right hand, "You saw the scar on my neck? Even these clothes I'm wearing…They're all constant reminders of the life I escaped…They're reminders that I am hated by many…Even I hate myself…"

Caout let out a deep sigh, full of a weariness that Tide would have never expected from this energetic girl. Caout extended her hand out to Tide, who looked from it to Caout's face. Caout gave her a determined grin.

"Us outcasts should stick together, don't you think?"

Tide sighed softly and kept staring at Caout's hand. Slowly, hesitantly, she grabbed it with her own hand. Caout gave her a firm handshake.

"You'll stay as my guide?" Caout asked. Tide nodded slowly, "Alright, then…It's official! There's no turning back now!"

Tide was confused. Caout gave her the widest grin she'd ever seen.

"As of this day forward, the two of us are partners!" 

* * *

At that moment, in the village near the port where Caout had arrived at…

"Now you all know about this girl!" Captain Silver of the Marines projected to a large crowd of villagers, "Remember to stay far away from her. She is an Elementist after all!"

"If anyone sees her, please inform one of us," another Marine, Kushiro, said as he passed around a picture of Tide.

At that moment, a woman ran up to the Marine.

"Sir!" she called, "Did you see a young lady in that forest? She has black hair and wears a red cowboy hat?"

"Yeah, we ran into a girl like that," Kushiro answered, "What about her?"

"I hope she is alright! I told her to go into the forest to have some fruit but she never came out. What if this Elementist got to her?"

"Don't worry," Captain Silver said, walking up to the woman, "That girl told us some information and we told her to get back to her parents before she got hurt."

"But that girl doesn't have parents! The poor thing is an orphan!"

Orphan? Silver wondered. But that girl told us…

"I knew that girl was suspicious!" Kushiro said as soon as the woman was gone, "She must be in cahoots with that Elementist mutt! We should've grabbed her on the spot!"

"Come now, Lieutenant Kushiro," Silver said as he put a hand on the Marine's shoulder, "Do you honestly believe that any sane person would willingly assist a mongrel?"

"What do you mean, Captain?"

"I mean, it looks like our little Elementist has found herself a hostage who will do her bidding…" 

* * *

On Serafus, Robin and Chopper had arrived at Balik's Tackle Shop. After being quickly introduced to Marina, the two got to work on the body. Luffy, Ace, Nami and Marina watched as Robin pulled out the photos of the wounds the crew had received the night of Caout's kidnapping. Chopper took the photos and placed them near the body.

Marina flinched as Chopper pulled out a blade and cut off a sample of skin from Jacob's body. He took said sample and placed it under a microscope. Chopper looked back and forth between the skin and the photos.

At the same time, Robin closely studied the body's decomposition. She had all her tools out and worked slowly and silently.

"How much longer?" Marina asked, sounding nervous.

"It won't be too long," Nami assured her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

In the background, the group heard young Jonah crying for his mother. Marina excused herself and went to care for her son, who had been trapped in a room the whole time after nearly discovering his father's body.

"Alright," Chopper said after what seemed like forever, "They match up perfectly. The marks on this man's arm are exactly the same as the ones from that battle we had eight years ago."

"So we can say with absolute certainty that the cloaked man was behind this attack," Ace said as Chopper nodded, "How's your work going, Robin?"

"I'm just about done," she said. She finally put her stuff away and wiped her brow, "Based on the amount of decomposition on this man, neglecting outside forces, I can estimate that he died around five or six days ago."

"Five or six days ago…" Luffy muttered to himself, "Nami!"

"I know!" she said.

Nami had requested that Robin bring a bunch of maps with her. Nami was currently trying to figure out which island could be within five to six days travel from Serafus. Serafus was basically in a remote area. Every island near it was several days of travel away. After ten minutes, she had an answer.

"I've got two islands!" she said, "The island of Silta and the island of Garuka!"

"You can rule out Silta…"

Marina had returned after calming down Jonah.

"Silta is a barren wasteland of a place," she said, "No one would ever go there. No food…no water…no animals…no people…"

"Then, it must be Garuka!"

Luffy's face grew determined. Garuka Island…That's where that man must be headed. But…

"There's no absolute proof that he went to Garuka," Nami sighed, "For all we know, he could have gone back to his home…He might not be going to Garuka at all…I mean, it's not like he has any real reason to go there."

"…We're going to Garuka…" Luffy said.

Luffy saw that his crewmates weren't sure about this. He clenched his fist tightly.

"I know that we've had many misses," Luffy said, "We've followed a lot of leads and all of them had ended in failure. But this is a solid lead that can possibly lead us to that cloaked man…Maybe even to Caout…Please guys. I'm certain that going to Garuka is the right decision…I need you to trust me on this…Just one more time, trust me…."

Ace walked up to his little brother. He took off the boy's straw hat. With his free hand, Ace ruffled Luffy's messy raven hair.

"Luffy," Ace said with a smile as he put the hat back on his brother, "You're an idiot at times. You can be reckless and cocky and do stuff that causes trouble for everyone…But you're my little brother. I trust you and your instincts absolutely."

"He's right, Luffy," Nami said, putting a hand on her husband's arm, "Your belief that everything will work out in the end…That's what made me love you. If you think Garuka holds the answers we're looking for, then we'll go there."

"You're our Captain, Luffy," Robin added, "I can speak for the entire crew when I say that we'd follow you anywhere. After all, you've always been there for each of us…No matter how hard or dangerous things became."

"Yeah, Luffy!" Chopper said cheerfully, "So we're always going to be there for you when you need us. We're your friends! We follow you because we believe in you!"

Luffy looked around at the smiling faces. He nodded slowly.

"Then it's settled…We're going to Garuka! Let's get back to the ship and get ready to depart!"

Luffy, Nami, Ace, Robin and Chopper thanked Marina and apologized for her loss. They offered to help with her husband's burial but Marina stated that she could manage herself.

"After all," she said with a sad smile, "I'm a fisherman's wife. I can do this. And Jonah…well, I'll tell him his father was a brave man who died like a warrior."

Luffy nodded and turned to follow the rest of his crew out the door.

"Luffy," Marina called, making Luffy pause at the doorway but not turn around, "I hope you find your daughter…Truly…"

Luffy raised a hand in farewell and ran out. He was going to find Caout…He was…

As if anyone could stop him now!

* * *

Wow, that was fun! Caout and Tide are not even a day into their travels on Garuka. Reo, as mentioned a couple chapters ago, is a day away from landing on Garuka. And now the Straw Hat Pirates have found out that they need to head out to Garuka.

Garuka Island is going to face a lot of action soon, huh?

I hope you liked this! Please keep reviewing!


	9. Night

A little note for those of you trying to imagine the characters. Remember how I said that Tamaki looked like Sanji…It's not like the whole twin thing going on between Robin and Anna. Tamaki has the blonde hair, black eyes and killer leg strength but that's it. No curly eyebrow and no bangs covering his eye in a mysterious fashion. Just wanted to let you know!

On a side note, sorry for the delay. My family had a guest over and we took that same guest to D.C. We didn't get home until really, really late. And I took yesterday as a recovery day from the trip. But I'm back and ready to update again!

Disclaimer: I claim no ownership of anyone or anything from One Piece. But every other character, _**especially**_ the _**kids**_, is mine! You hear me? THEY'RE MINE! (Very possessive)…

* * *

It was pitch black outside. Night had fallen. Only a few glittering stars and a full moon lit up the sky. Onboard the Thousand Sunny, the crew was busily preparing the ship to set sail. They all anxiously waited for the Log Pose to be set on Garuka Island.

"Just twenty-five more minutes now," Nami said as she focused on the Log Pose.

The rest of the crew's adults were putting the supplies away and getting the ship ready to sail. Meanwhile, below deck, the kids gathered themselves in the boys' room. It was kind of crowded but they dealt with it.

"What a day!" Anna exclaimed, leaning on her brother, "First a body and now we're off to a new island."

"According to what Luffy, Ace and Nami found out," Sky said, "The guy who took Caout may be on that island. Maybe we can finally learn what happened to her…"

"I wonder what she looks like," Annetoinette said, yawning, "I wonder if she looks more like Luffy or Nami."

"The better question is who she _acts_ like," Tamaki smirked, "It'd be funny if she took after Luffy. You know, I mean the old Luffy that our parents always told us about…"

"Who the hell cares about that?"

The Straw Hat kids turned to look at Hazuki, who was lying in her hammock. She was looking at them with a deep frown on her face.

"C'mon, Haz," Annetoinette said, "You can't say you've never wondered about your own sister."

"Of course I've wondered," Hazuki said as she sat up, "But _I_ don't give a damn about her. Why do _you_ _guys_?"

"Because," Kuina began, "We may have never gotten to know her…We may know nothing about her….But she's still one of us. She's our nakama."

"Nakama…" Hazuki scoffed, "Sure…"

With a soft "humph", Hazuki jumped out of the hammock and walked out of the room, stating that she needed some fresh air. The other kids watched as she exited the room.

"What's her problem?" Tamaki whispered after a moment.

The other kids shrugged. None of them could ever understand why Hazuki had such ill feelings toward Caout. Especially considering that she had never met her sister before.

"Whatever is going on with her," Kuina said, "It's something that she'll talk about when she's ready. So we'll have to let it go for now."

* * *

Meanwhile, at that precise moment, near the center of the village was a group of five men. They were reputed as being some of the toughest and least merciful hooligans on all of Serafus. The bunch was cleaning off their blades, a slaughtered dog laying before them.

"Man, we're getting off our game, men," the leader said as he looked at a bite wound on his arm, "The stupid mutt actually bit me before I could kill him…"

"Don't worry about it, Boss," another man said, "You still killed the thing in record time…"

"True…But I do hope we get another opportunity to test our skills. Preferably on a _two-legged_ target…"

The group chuckled sinisterly…

* * *

Hazuki went up the stairs and opened the door to the deck. She breathed in the fresh, cool air and gazed at the stars above her. She looked around at her surroundings.

The waters were shimmering from the light from lanterns all over the island. The moon was reflected in the ocean as well. Hazuki could hear the chirping of the crickets. She admired the beautiful glow the lights were giving the village….What a gorgeous sight…So peaceful…

Hazuki went closer and closer to the edge of the ship closest to the village. She leaned against the railing, a dreamy expression on her face. Suddenly, without warning…

"Shoot!" Hazuki hissed.

She leaned too far over and her glasses, which were normally secured tightly to her necklace, had fallen onto the dock. To make matters worse, a passing dog found interest in the glasses. It grabbed the glasses with its mouth and proceeded to run into the village.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Hazuki groaned, "We'll be leaving at any moment!"

It wasn't that she needed the glasses on a constant basis. Her eyesight was fine the majority of the time. That was why she secured the glasses to her necklace. However, at random moments, her vision would become blurry and she wouldn't be able to see more than five feet in front of her. It was at those moments she needed those glasses.

"Alright, guys!" Hazuki heard Luffy's voice say, "Nami said we have another twenty minutes before the Log Pose is set! So let's hurry and get everything prepared!"

"Aye-aye!" the rest of the crew shouted.

_Twenty minutes…_Hazuki repeated to herself. _…I bet I can make it before anyone notices I'm gone…_

With that thought in her head, Hazuki quickly looked back to make sure that no one was looking in her direction. She then jumped off the ship. With an "oof", she landed on her butt.

"Not my best landing," Hazuki groaned.

She got up quickly and ran into the village, hoping her eyes wouldn't fail her before she found that dog.

* * *

On Garuka, Caout and Tide set up camp for the night in a small clearing. After the two ate some berries from a nearby bush for dinner, Tide showed off her survival skills by building two decently sized shelters out of sticks, leaves and mud. Caout gazed in awe at the constructions.

"Wow, Nyshairyn," she said as she tapped the structures to check their sturdiness, "You're pretty talented…"

"When one lives alone, one has to be able to care for oneself," Tide responded, "Building shelter is survival 101, Listerra."

"I've always slept in caves, or in bushes or in trees…"

Tide looked over at Caout, a hand on her hip.

"How long have you been on your own for?"

"…A week…"

Tide shook her head. She was stuck with a novice survivor…Just great. Tide knew she would be in for a headache later.

The duo went into their respective shelters and settled in for the night. Caout complained she was hungry for a while. Tide had half a mind to blow her structure down when Caout's chatter was replaced by light snores.

Tide looked over at the sleeping girl. She remembered the scar on her neck, her bandaged hands…Those were proof that she wasn't a novice to fighting. But it was what she told those drunkards earlier that caught her attention.

_"See this? This is proof that I can handle any monster that comes after me now…" _

The way she said it was odd…What gave her that scar? Who was after her? Just what _is_ Caout?

Tide, although trying to remind herself that this was none of her concern, couldn't help but be interested in Caout. There was something about the girl…

_"You know, Nyshairyn…I don't know what you're going through. I don't know what went on in your past. But…I know what it feels like to be alone…to be hated…See this? See these bandages on my hands? You saw the scar on my neck? Even these clothes I'm wearing…They're all constant reminders of the life I escaped…They're reminders that I am hated by many…Even I hate myself…"_

Tide knew Caout had spoken true; that she had spoken from the heart…She probably could empathize with Tide's situation…But her words just gave way to more questions.

"Just what are you, Listerra?" Tide whispered to the sleeping figure before lying on her back, "What happened in your past?"

* * *

Back in the little port-side village on Garuka…

"Captain Silver!" Kushiro called to his superior, "The Marine Inspection vessel has come back. We can leave this island now."

Silver looked out to the waters, staring at the vessel. The only reason that he and his men were on Garuka was because he was supposed to do a surprise inspection, making sure everything was up to standard. However, when he had learned of the Elementist brat, he decided to chase her.

"Kushiro," Silver said to the young man, "Tell those guys they can leave. We'll call them when we're ready to go."

"But, Captain-"

"I refuse to leave this island until that mongrel girl is either caught or dead…Understood?"

Kushiro saluted and ran towards the port. Standing there was the current leading officer of the vessel, Silver's second-in-command. Kushiro told the man what Silver had said. The man, Commander Ora, sighed and went back onboard the ship.

"Alright, men!" he told the crew, "We'll come back here another time! Set sail! We're going back to Serafus!"

"Aye-aye!" the Marines onboard shouted.

* * *

On the open waters, somewhere near Garuka…

"Hmmm…" Reo said to himself as he looked at the Log Pose and the map, "Only a few more hours…And then the hunt really begins."

* * *

"Here doggy! Here doggy!"

Hazuki was slowly wandering the dimly lit streets, searching every nook and cranny for the dog who took her glasses. She wasn't sure how long she had taken so far, but she knew she had better pick it up. She started to go at a jogging pace as she turned her head this way and that.

"C'mon, you stupid dog!" she growled, "I want my glasses back!"

As Hazuki rounded a corner, she tripped over something with enough force that her sandals actually flew off. She twisted as she fell and landed on her butt, which was still sore from her earlier fall. Hazuki was about to apologize, thinking that maybe she had tripped on a person because the thing felt humanlike, when she felt something wet on her now bare feet…Something wet and warm…

She snapped her head down and, even though it was dark, she knew exactly what her feet were in…That odor was enough proof of what it was…A puddle of freshly spilled, deep red blood…

"Aaahhh!" Hazuki screeched as she backed away from the blood.

She stared at her red feet. She felt down and noticed that her pants and part of her shirt her wet with the red liquid as well. The shock of seeing the blood had made her oblivious to its presence anywhere else on her body.

Hazuki stood up, a feeling of disgust and horror washing over her. She looked at the ground and saw that, lying next to the puddle, was the body of a dog…The very dog she was after. There were some bloody footprints leading from the body, going just behind where Hazuki stood. She turned and saw lying on the ground, slightly cracked and splattered with blood, were her glasses.

Hazuki picked them up with trembling hands and reattached them to her necklace. Hazuki slowly started to back away, her head snapping at every little noise she heard. Panic set in and she turned and ran. But it was too late…Someone was blocking her path.

"Well, well, well…" the man said, his blade visible, "Looks like I got my wish of a human target after all…"

_Oh, God…_Hazuki thought as she saw four more men join the guy. _Oh God….Oh God…Oh, dear God…Oh God._

* * *

Back on the Sunny, Luffy had been informed by Nami that the Log Pose was set and they could ship off. The anchor was raised and the sails were about to be pulled down. The wind was blowing in their favor. Everything was ready…

But what was this feeling creeping over him? As though something was amiss…As if something was forgotten…

"Hey, Ayrel," Luffy said after a moment, "Could…Could you go check on the kids before we set sail?"

Ayrel agreed and went down to the rooms. All the boys were lying in their hammocks, dreaming away peacefully. Ayrel then went into the girls' room. They were all there too. Kuina, Anna, Annetoinette…

"Hold on," Ayrel said, walking over to Hazuki's hammock.

The blanket was in a way that made it seem like there was someone under it. But when Ayrel pulled back the blanket, Hazuki wasn't there. Ayrel looked at the hammock below Hazuki's, which held a sleeping Anna, clutching her blanket.

"Anna," Ayrel whispered, shaking the girl's shoulder, "Anna, wake up."

"Huh…? ...What's up, Ayrel?" Anna groaned as she looked up at the woman, rubbing her eyes.

"Anna, do you know where Haz is?"

"…She went up…onto the deck…a while ago…I didn't hear her come in…so she must be…there."

Ayrel quickly went back onto the deck as Anna collapsed back into her hammock from exhaustion and told Luffy this news. The two of them looked around every part of the deck. No Hazuki. The rest of the crew was sent to search the remainder of the ship. No Hazuki…No Hazuki anywhere onboard.

"I don't understand," Nami said, the panic in her voice showing clearly, "W-where could she have gone?"

Luffy was sweating bullets. Little flashes of eight years ago were appearing before his eyes. He kept shaking his head, trying to concentrate, trying to rid himself of the images. He ran a hand nervously through his hair and stared towards the village. He froze for a minute. Maybe she…It could be possible…

"I'll be back in a bit," Luffy said to his nakama suddenly, hopping off and running into the village.

_Be there…_he thought desperately. _Please be there! Please!_

_HAZUKI!_

* * *

Some of you may think this is a little random. But, trust me; there is a method to my madness. I'm just trying to better progress with Hazuki and Luffy's portions of this story. Plus, I wanted to give a basic rundown on the status of all the major players of this story.

Once again, I apologize for the delay! I hope you liked this chapter and, once again, please review. Thank you!


	10. Fearsome

Was my apology yesterday not enough? I looked on my account and apparently, for the past two days, absolutely no one has gone on my story! If you guys are mad, I'm sorry! Don't quit on my story because of the delay! It wasn't my fault, truly!

Another little note (there will be a bunch of these)…You guys probably already knew this but I just want to make it clear. Even though Caout has had her hat since she was a baby, it isn't a baby hat. Luffy bought her a full-sized cowboy hat, hoping she would grow into it. For those of you not clear about how she wears the hat, take a look at how Luffy wears his hat when he battles in the anime and manga. See how it's hanging off his neck? That's the way Caout wears her hat, only she wears it like that constantly.

Disclaimer: Me no own One Piece…Me sad about this…

* * *

"Hey, look at her, Boss," one of the blade-wielding man's lackeys said, "She's pretty cute…"

"A redhead, huh?" another lackey sneered, "They're supposed to be pretty feisty, aren't they?"

_Why did I have to run into pedophiles? _Hazuki thought as she stared nervously at the men who were leering at her.

"C'mon, you guys," the boss said, "We're not here to do anything like _that_…We have _some_ decency…"

Hazuki highly doubted that as the men chuckled darkly.

"I mean it," the boss continued, "We're only going kill her. No funny stuff…"

_Oh yeah, cause that's so much better!_ Hazuki said in her head.

"Judging from the blood on you, you must have run into our latest victim," the boss said, motioning over at the dead dog.

Hazuki refused to look. Seeing two dead bodies in one day was enough for her. She didn't need to see a dead body again….Hazuki stood stiffly, her fists clenched beside her. What was she going to do? She was outnumbered five to one _and_ she had no fighting experience. Plus, she didn't inherit her dad's Devil Fruit powers…She was basically a useless kid at the moment.

She _told_ her father she should've been trained!

"Now…" the boss said, walking towards Hazuki with his knife pointed at her, "What should I cut first?"

Hazuki slowly took a couple of steps back. She looked over her shoulder at the dimly lit streets. She didn't know this village…She had stayed onboard the ship like always…

But it was her only shot…

Hazuki took a deep breath and turned. She sprinted as fast as she could. Behind her, she could hear the men shouting. The boss laughed and told them to go after…That it was "way more amusing" when the "target" ran.

Hazuki let her fear carry her faster and faster through the winding streets. She prayed that she wouldn't trip over anything. She could hear the sounds of the men behind her getting closer and closer.

Hazuki took a quick peek over her shoulder. She saw that only two of the men were following her. She realized, frustrated, that the other three had probably split up in order to cut off her escape.

"Damn it!" Hazuki said to herself, "What do I do now?"

"C'mon, girly!" she heard one of the men behind her call, "There's no use running!"

"Yeah!" the other guy said, "One way or another, our boss will kill you!"

Hazuki growled and urged her body to go faster. As she quickly took a sharp corner into a side street, she saw a tall pile of boxes lined up against a wall. Thinking quickly, Hazuki ran next to the boxes and stopped. She waited until the men, who were sure that the girl had given up, were only a couple feet away. Then, she delivered a swift kick to the bottom box.

The kick, while not strong, caused the pile to become unstable. The next thing the two men knew, about twenty or more large boxes fell on top of them. They were empty but they still knocked down the guys, allowing Hazuki the chance to get a good head start before they got out of the mess.

"Those boxes won't hold them for long!" Hazuki panted, "I need something else…Something that will stop them…Or at least distract them for a while…"

Whether by coincidence or by fate, Hazuki was given a solution. She ran through another street and came across a large kennel. There were about fifteen dogs in the kennels, all snarling and barking at Hazuki. The kennel was doors were constructed in a way that if the bar was lifted off of one door, then all the doors would be opened. A very stupid design…Next to the kennel was a crudely made sign that said "WARNING! Extremely vicious dogs."

Hazuki didn't understand. Normally animals, even the supposedly vicious ones, loved her. Sure, her father was always a worrywart when it came to animals getting anywhere close to her but she knew that she had a way with them. So why would they be barking at her?

"Of course," Hazuki said as realization came over her, "I'm covered in dog blood!"

Hazuki suddenly came up with an idea. Though it would be very embarrassing for her, Hazuki quickly began to remove her clothes. In a couple of minutes, she was reduced to wearing a thin undershirt and underwear. Hazuki took her blood soaked clothes and dropped them a few feet away from the kennel. Then, using all her might, she climbed up to the top of one the kennels and laid down, waiting…

In no time, the two pursuers showed up. They came across the bloody clothes and eyed them suspiciously.

"Why would she leave her clothes here?" one of them wondered.

As the two of them pondered the odd turn of events, Hazuki slowly reached down to the bar on the door. With a few good tugs, the bar crashed to the floor, causing the doors of the kennel to slam open. The dogs, now free, ran toward the area with the smell of dog blood. They saw the two men holding the bloody clothes and took after them, snarling and barking fiercely. Hazuki let out an exhilarated laugh as she saw the men run away, screaming in terror.

"And Papa thought I had no skills," Hazuki scoffed as she jumped off the kennel, "If only he could've seen _that_!"

"Very impressive, squirt."

Hazuki felt her heart drop into her stomach upon hearing the voice. She turned slowly to face the man with the blade and his two remaining lackeys. They slowly advanced on her.

"You know," the boss said, "I thought you were just some regular unlucky brat who just happened to run across us. But that was some pretty good deception right there. You're pretty smart kid."

"I don't need to hear that from _you_," Hazuki spat at the man, backing off slowly.

"There, there, girl…Be good and hold still. If you don't run, I _might_ kill you quickly…So that you feel no pain."

"_Who_ _will you kill_?" a voice snarled.

Hazuki and the three men looked around, wondering where the voice came from. Suddenly, Hazuki spotted the voice's owner standing on the roof of a nearby house. There were shadows covering him. But Hazuki could recognize the man anywhere…

_Papa! _She thought to herself as Luffy jumped off the roof and advanced toward the men.

The boss and the two lackeys got ready, thinking they could handle the approaching figure. It was when Luffy stepped into the light that Hazuki saw the blood drain from their faces.

"B-b-boss!" one lackey stuttered, "T-that guy is the P-p-pirate K-k-king, isn't he?"

"W-w-why would _he_ be _here_?" the other man said, sounding extremely nervous.

"Hey, Mister Pirate King," the boss said nervously, putting away his blade, "We don't want any trouble from you! W-we were talking to this girl!"

"That girl," Luffy said lowly, "Is _my_ _daughter_."

Any color those men had on their faces vanished with Luffy's statement. They all started talking at once, trying to explain themselves and their actions. Hazuki backed off and stood near the kennel she had been on earlier. Luffy drew closer and closer to the terrified trio.

"You guys picked the wrong girl to mess with," Luffy said with a voice that Hazuki had never heard before. It was so…so…sinister, for lack of a better term.

The three men started apologizing quickly as Luffy got within a couple of feet of them. Without any warning, Luffy hit the boss with his signature Gum-Gum Pistol. The boss was sent flying into a nearby building with enough force to break a hole in the wall. Luffy then used his Gum-Gum Whip to send the other two guys where their boss was.

The force of Luffy's attack was enough to knock out the three men instantly. Hazuki was impressed. Especially since she had never seen her father fight before. Hazuki thought that since those three were taken care of, she and Luffy would go back to the ship and she would get in trouble.

Hazuki was confused when Luffy walked up to the three unconscious thugs. He had a look of pure hatred on his face. Hazuki watched, horrified, as Luffy suddenly stomped on the three men.

"You think being knocked out will save you?" Luffy growled with each step, "You're dreaming, assholes!"

Hazuki flinched with each step. She stood still, horrified, as she started to hear cracking and crunching sounds…The sounds of bones being broken…Who was this man who was beating on these guys? It wasn't her father! It couldn't be…

"PAPA!" Hazuki yelled, running up to the Pirate King and grabbing his arm, "Papa, stop it! They can't fight anymore! Papa! This isn't like you!"

It took all that Hazuki had to hold back tears. She couldn't cry now! It wasn't the time! After some more pleading and tugging, Luffy finally let up on his assault. Hazuki took a quick look at the men…And she thought that dead body from earlier looked horrible…

Hazuki was trembling, both from the chill of the night air and from the scene she just witnessed. She gulped and looked up at her father, still clutching his arm. Luffy was still giving those men a horrible look. It was…not like him…

"Papa? You're scaring me…"

Luffy let out a deep sigh and lifted his daughter. Luffy held her in a fireman's carry and started walking back towards the docks. Hazuki couldn't see the expression on his face. She wasn't sure she wanted to see it.

No words were spoken between the two...

* * *

It was midnight. On Garuka Island, at the fishing port, Koi and some of the men were checking up on all the fishing ships, making sure they were all secured tightly. As they checked, Koi couldn't help but think about the girl with the cowboy hat from earlier. He wondered if she was okay and whether or not she had run into the Elementist the Marine Captain had warned the village about earlier in the day.

As the group continued their rounds, Koi spotted a shape in the waters. It was coming closer and closer to the island. After a moment, Koi realized that the shape was that of a boat. And there was someone in that boat….

"Look, you guys!" Koi said, "It appears that we have another visitor…"

There were a lot of weird people showing up lately…

The boat landed near the shipping vessels. The man in it jumped out and tied it to the docks. Koi walked over to the man. He noticed the guy had very pale hair and was wearing a dark cloak around him. How very odd…As Koi got closer, he recognized the vessel as being of similar design to the fishing vessels used by the people of Serafus. Was this guy lost or something?

"Hello there!" Koi greeted with a smile and a wave, "Welcome to Garuka Island, stranger! You have arrived here at a pretty late hour."

"Hello," the man said in a simple tone, "Perhaps you can assist me? I am looking for a certain someone."

_Certain someone? _Koi thought. He was getting a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Yes," the stranger continued, "A little girl…Perhaps you've seen her. Black hair, black eyes, kind of tan, wearing a red cowboy hat? A bit odd, personality-wise?"

"What makes you think this girl is on this island?" Koi asked carefully.

"I got a few tips from some fishermen on Serafus. They…_lent_ me this boat…"

_Yeah, I bet they did…_Koi said in his head. This guy was bad news…

"Sorry, sir," Koi said, "But I'm afraid no girl like that has come through here. I'm sorry you had to come all this way for-"

Koi was cut off by sudden, sharp blow to the back of his neck. He went down hard. The three other men with him shouted and ran at the cloaked man. He simply opened his cloak and let a few black blobs jump out. The men watched, horrified, as the blobs became monsters. Koi was forced to listen to his friends' terrified screams. He heard cracking and slashing sounds. The cloaked man kneeled down and looked him square in the eye. Koi was intimidated by the cold gaze.

"Think carefully now…" the man said lowly, "Are you _sure_ you didn't see a girl like that come here? Pick your answer carefully…"

Koi shuddered. He didn't want to die…But he couldn't surrender that little kid with the innocent eyes either. His conscience wouldn't allow it.

"No girl like that came here…" Koi said after a moment, "You've got the wrong island…"

The cloaked man sighed and stood up. With minimum effort he lifted Koi to his feet as well. It was then that Koi could truly see what happened to his companions. He stared wordlessly at their mangled bodies, which were torn to shreds and bruised beyond belief. Koi looked at the cloaked man, who frowned at him.

"Sheesh!" the guy said, "It's annoying how many noble people I've been running into!"

The man leaned in close and gave Koi a wicked grin.

"She's somewhere in the village? Or maybe the forest? If you don't tell me, I'll be forced to go through each house in this village, one by one. I wonder what will happen when those villagers meet my friends…."

Koi's heart sank and his breathing quickened. The life of some girl he only met this morning or the life of the villagers whom he has known his entire life…The answer was clear, wasn't it?

"She's…in the forest…" Koi said, silently apologizing to the girl. But he couldn't risk the lives of the villagers.

"Good boy…" the man said, dropping Koi to the ground, "See? Now _that_ wasn't too hard, was it? Too bad it came too late to save your friends…"

Reo chuckled sinisterly and kicked the bodies mercilessly. Koi could only watch and growl.

"Thanks for the tip!" Reo called as he walked toward the forest.

Koi slowly rose to his feet…His body shook…

He said a small prayer for that little girl.

* * *

Interesting chapter…I have nothing to say except please read and review. But mostly, please read! Read, please!


	11. Puppies and Bears and Rubber Girls

**IMPORTANT MESSAGE FOR READERS!**

Well, it's important for me…Apparently, according to my account, I have had no readers since Sunday. Is this a malfunction on the website's part or are you guys just not reading? I hope it's the former…PLEASE READ. And, if this is a malfunction, stop scaring me mean website!

Disclaimer: Yeah, I don't own One Piece and what not….

* * *

"Nyshairyn….Can you make a fire? It's freezing out here! Really, _really _freezing!"

Unfortunately for Tide, Caout woke up some time around three and proceeded to complain about how cold it was. It was now five in the morning, the sun was beginning to peak above the horizon and Caout was still going on about it. Tide, who was used to camping out here, wasn't bothered by the cold. But for Caout, who was new to the experience, the cold was unbearable.

"Listerra, didn't I tell you a few hours ago that I have no control over my fire?" Tide was obviously annoyed by now.

"I remember…So, how about you go out there, grab some firewood and make a fire by hand?"

Tide turned to glare at the cowboy hat wearing girl and said in no uncertain terms that if _she_ wanted a fire, _she_ should make it herself. Caout growled but climbed out of the makeshift tent Tide had built. She went over to some nearby trees and started gathering some fallen branches. Truth be told, she wasn't sure how to make a fire but she wasn't going to let Tide know that.

"Wood, wood, wood!" Caout sung to herself, "Finding some firewood! Chop it up, burn it up! Then I'll be warm! Warm and toasty, warm and toasty! Toasty, toasty and warm!"

"I could do without the concert!" Tide's voice yelled.

Caout stuck her tongue out in Tide's direction, though she knew the girl wouldn't see it. As Caout bent down to pick up some more sticks, she heard a twig snap. She lifted her head slightly, looking in the direction of the dark forest. She became very quiet and waited.

"Hmmm….Maybe it was my imagination…?"

Caout bent down to gather some more sticks when she heard it again. She dropped the pile in her hands and started backing away from the forest. Her eyes never left it though. She backed into the two little tents that Tide made.

"Nyshairyn!" Caout said as she shook the Elementist's shoulder, her eyes still glued to the forest, "Nyshairyn, wake up!"

Tide, who had fallen back asleep after Caout stopped singing, was jerked awake. She crawled out of the tent, put her hands on her hips and gave Caout her signature frown. Then again, she never smiled…

"One night…" Tide said, "I deal with your endless talk all day! It annoys me to no end but I tolerate it! And you can't let me have one night of silence?"

"But I heard something in there," Caout said, pointing at the forest, "And what do you mean it _annoys_ you? I tell you interesting stuff all the time!"

Tide waited but she didn't hear a thing…She looked over at Caout. What game was she playing at? Caout frowned and stared harder, trying to see through the darkness…

"I'm telling you, I heard something in there!" Caout insisted, "…Maybe we should head out…?"

"Fine," Tide groaned, "If it will make you feel better…Wind Burst!"

Tide flicked her hand in the direction of the two structures. A wave of wind slammed into them and knocked them down. Caout was still in awe at Tide's power. Though she wished that she could have the opportunity to show off her own abilities.

_When our next opponent comes, I'll beat him up all on my own!_ Caout thought to herself.

Then, she heard it again. The sound of steps. She turned to say "I told you so" to Tide. But Tide was looking toward the forest. Apparently she had heard it too. The girls turned their bodies to face the forest. Tide slowly started to walk towards it. Her arm was ready to deal out a punishing gust of wind. Then, without warning…

"Yip, yip, yip!"

Bounding out of the forest came a little black and white puppy. It bounded straight towards Tide and started licking her bare feet. Tide picked up the little pup and held it in her arms. She didn't smile but her eyes did appear to soften at the little cutie's presence.

"_You're_ the one who's been worrying us? Look, Listerra! There was nothing to worry-"

Tide turned around but was surprised not to see Caout there. Caout was all the way on the other side of the road, pushing herself against a tree. Her eyes were wide, staring at the little puppy in Tide's hands. Tide, a little baffled, started to walk towards Caout. The puppy in her hands was yipping and whining in Caout's direction.

The noise, which would make a normal little girl squeal in delight, seemed to make Caout desperate to push herself through the tree. As Tide got closer, she saw that Caout was sweating and trembling. What on earth?

"G-g-get that t-t-thing away from m-m-m-me!" Caout stuttered.

"What, this little puppy?" Tide asked, holding up said creature.

Caout yelped and jumped behind the tree, a move that confused both Tide and the puppy.

"Yes, that little thing! Begone demon creature from the pits of hell!"

"You better be talking to the puppy…" Tide said.

"I am! Now, get it away!"

Tide couldn't believe. This super-energetic, chattering little kid who was willing to walk right up to two dangerous, full-grown drunk men…was afraid of a puppy? …Okay, she had to do this…Tide, without making a single sound, walked as close to the tree as possible. The puppy, aware of what was about to happen, stopped making any noises too.

"Alright, Listerra," Tide said, "The puppy is gone. You can come out now…"

"Thank goodness!" Caout said in a relieved tone as she stepped out from behind the tree, "I can't stand-"

Caout's voice failed when Tide suddenly brought the puppy to her face. The puppy licked the tip of Caout's nose.

"WAAAAAHHHH!" Caout screamed as she ran faster than Tide had ever seen anyone run.

Tide scoffed…So the kid was afraid of dogs. She put the puppy gently on the ground and told it to go back where it came from. But the puppy merely sat down and rubbed against Tide's leg. It seemed to have taken a liking to the pink-haired girl. Tide looked down at it with her blue eyes.

"If you're gonna stay, you can't get in the way…I'll call you Hero. Cause you saved me from that kid."

Speaking of the kid, Tide realized that she had run off in the direction they had come from. Tide couldn't hear her screaming anymore. Half of her wanted to run at that moment. If the girl was gone, then she didn't have to deal with her anymore. But the other half of her said that it wouldn't be nice to leave behind the kid after saying she would be led to the docks.

"That girl is such a nuisance…" Tide said as she ran off in the direction Caout had, the puppy trailing behind her.

Tide had been running for a few minutes and she still hadn't run into Caout. How fast could that girl run? This was insane! Next thing she knew, a figure zoomed by Tide and the puppy. Tide turned to see Caout standing a few feet behind her. She was panting and pointing past Tide.

"Where have you been? I've been looking all over!" Tide said, annoyed.

"B-B-B-B-B-BEAR!" Caout yelled.

Tide snapped her head around and saw that yes, in fact there was a bear. A really, really, _really_ big bear who was running towards them. Tide scooped up the puppy in her hands and ran. As she passed Caout, she grabbed hold of her wrist. In an impressive stunt, she was able to maneuver Caout onto her back so that Caout was now riding piggyback.

"You hold on like your life depended on it!" Tide yelled at her as she sprinted.

"Nyshairyn, are you sure you can keep this up?" Caout asked.

"You're looking at the world's youngest adrenaline junkie! I can handle this sort of thing!"

Adrenaline junkie…? Caout wasn't sure she liked the sound of that…But Tide was going really fast and outrunning that bear so she couldn't really complain.

"Hang on, Listerra!" Tide called, "We're making a detour!"

Before Caout could question what she meant, Tide took a sharp turn into the forest. Caout looked back and saw the bear was still in heavy pursuit. Caout and Tide had to turn their bodies this way and that in order to avoid slamming into low lying branches or trees.

"HA HA!" Caout taunted as the bear was having a difficult time, "We're winning, stupid bear!"

"Listerra, don't make fun of the wildlife!" Tide growled, "Especially when we're not out of the woods yet!"

"Of course we're not out of the woods yet, Nyshairyn…What do you think we're running through?"

Tide couldn't believe the matter-of-fact tone Caout had used when she said that. Suddenly, Tide saw a really low branch coming up.

"DUCK!" she shouted.

"Where?" Caout asked excitedly. She was in the mood for a nice roasted duck at the moment.

Instead, Caout's neck slammed straight into the branch. Tide didn't notice and kept on running. However, she slowly became aware of the fact that she was going slower than normal. Was she getting tired? No…It felt like something was pulling her back. Tide turned her head and saw, to her utter shock, that while Caout's body was still attached to her, Caout's head was back on that branch. Connecting the body and head was a very long, stretched out neck.

"WHAT THE-?" Tide couldn't finish the sentence because she, the puppy and Caout's body were suddenly flying towards Caout's head.

Caout's head and body stretched back to normal. However, Tide and the puppy were sent flying into the bear. They collided with the animal's stomach. The three dropped to the ground. Caout walked over and saw that the bear was out like a light. Meanwhile, Tide, who was on top of the bear's stomach, seemed a little out of it. The puppy was on top of her, barking and unhurt.

Caout sighed as she draped Tide over her shoulders. She then looked down, nervously, at the puppy who was staring at her curiously.

"Listen, you!" she said, "You stay ten feet away from me at all times got that? No touching me in any way! I don't bother you and you don't bother me!"

The puppy sat down and tilted its head, not getting what this girl with the cowboy hat was scared about. But it gave her a little yip that Caout took to mean "alright".

"OKAY! Let's go then!"

Caout wandered onto the road, the puppy named Hero a bit behind her. Caout looked left and right and suddenly realized something…

"Wait…Which way do we go?"

* * *

Nice and short little chapter. Actually, this is my shortest chapter yet. I just wanted Tide to finally learn about Caout's ability…Please read and review!


	12. What To Protect

Okay, good news! Apparently, it _was_ the website's fault that I was "not getting any readers". The truth is on Monday, the day I first updated after my trip, I got my own record number of readers…82 PEOPLE! WHOOOO! So I feel much better now….

Disclaimer: In this story I only own my own made up places and my own made up characters…YOU HEAR THAT KIDS? ALL 8 OF YOU ARE MINE! (Sometimes becomes psychotic….)

* * *

"I'm lost…Oh so lost! Stuck with a pink-haired girl! A girl who sets things on fire! And can blow people away! Lost, lost and lost! Oh, and there's a dog too!"

The average person who heard this song would either think that they were going insane or that there was a psycho roaming the forest. But for Caout, this song was good. It wasn't that she was a horrible singer. No, she had a good voice. It's just that she wasn't the type who could think of lyrics off the top of her head…

Caout had been roaming the forest for, well, she wasn't sure how long. Draped across her shoulders was a still unconscious Tide, who was knocked out after being flung into a bear. Trailing behind the girls, trying his utmost to keep ten feet away from Caout, was an absolutely adorable two moth old black and white puppy who Tide had named Hero.

Caout constantly looked back at the puppy, trying to make sure that he didn't get anywhere near her. Caout hated dogs….She really, really, _really_ couldn't stand to be anywhere near dogs. There was a long story behind the hatred. It didn't matter how cute the pup was, she was terrified out of her mind.

Suddenly, Caout heard a low growling noise. She snapped her head back towards the puppy, thinking that he was about to attack her. But Hero was merely rolling around in the dirt, whining slightly and basically enjoying himself. Caout then realized that the growls were coming from in front of her. She turned this way and that but couldn't see a thing. Then, she realized….

"Oh, wait…That's my stomach…"

Caout remembered that she hadn't eaten a thing since last night. And even then she had only eaten some berries. Fruits and water weren't going to get her anywhere. She needed something more…Something juicy…Something that would give her energy…

She needed meat…

At that very moment, as if in answer to her desires, Caout saw a flock of geese hanging out in a nearby clearing. Caout's mouth watered and she licked her lips as she looked at the unsuspecting birds. She dropped Tide, rather roughly, onto the ground.

"You watch her, okay?" she told Hero, who proceeded to climb on top of the knocked out girl and take a nap on her.

Caout rubbed her hands together and looked over at the flock hungrily.

"It's nothing personal little birds….It's just chow time!"

* * *

It had been a few hours since the Thousand Sunny had set sail from Serafus. Hazuki laid back in her hammock, reading a navigation book. She was alone. She was wearing a new pair of jeans and a shirt just like her old one, except this one was blue and white plaid. Robin had fixed and cleaned her glasses for her.

Hazuki sighed as she closed her book. She turned to lay on her side. The events from Serafus were still running through her head. Especially what happened once she and Luffy got back on the ship.

* * *

_"HAZUKI!" Nami had called when she and Luffy had arrived back on the ship._

_Luffy put Hazuki down gently, allowing Nami to grab the girl and hold her closely. Hazuki struggled a little in the tight grasp. She was also a little embarrassed by her lack of clothes in front of the crew._

_"What happened?" Nami asked as she looked over her daughter, "Did someone hurt you? Where are your clothes? Why is there blood on your feet? Hazuki, tell me what-"_

_"She nearly got killed by some thugs," Luffy said in a low voice._

_The crew looked over at their captain, noticing that his hands and feet were dripping blood. Chopper went over and discovered Luffy had no wounds on him. None of the blood was his own…_

_"But I wasn't killed," Hazuki said softly as Anna came over and gave her a towel to wrap herself with._

_"You weren't because I happened to run across you," Luffy responded, not looking in Hazuki's direction, "You're lucky there were only three-"_

_"There were originally five," Hazuki interrupted. The other crewmembers, the ship…They had all faded away. This was now a conversation between Luffy and Hazuki alone._

_"What do you mean?"_

_"I mean there were five of them at first. I got rid of two of them. You said before, didn't you? You said I couldn't fight because I had no special talents. But, even though I'm normal, I still fought back two guys and won…Just by using __**this**__."_

_Hazuki tapped her head lightly. Luffy finally turned and faced her. The look on his face was…indiscernible…He looked down at Hazuki._

_"Did you think about what could've happened if __**that**__ failed you?" Luffy said as he gave the girl's forehead a rather hard tap. Hazuki rubbed the spot, "Did you think that maybe, just maybe, you got through by sheer luck?"_

_"Of course I knew it was luck! But the fact remains that I did hold my own against my enemies, if only for a little while."_

_Luffy put a hand to his forehead in frustration. Why didn't she understand? Did she really not get the seriousness of the situation she was saved from?_

_"Hazuki…You could've been killed…Why don't you seem to get that? This isn't about how many enemies you had beaten! This is about the fact that you almost died! Why on earth did you wander off, huh?" _

_Hazuki had been dreading the question because the answer was rather pathetic. _

_"Well, my glasses fell onto the dock and then this dog came and grabbed them…So I went after it. I thought I'd be back before we set sail."_

_Luffy looked at Hazuki in disbelief. _

_"For that?" he said slowly, "You nearly got yourself murdered by those bastards…for something as __**stupid**__ as that? I don't believe you, Hazuki!"_

_"__**Stupid**__? You want to know what's __**stupid**__, Papa?" Hazuki yelled angrily, marching up to her father, "What's __**stupid**__ is what you did to those men! Mama always told me that you refused to kill your enemies, no matter how horrible they were…She said it was because you always thought it was better to beat them and let them see their dreams and lives ruined! __**WHAT HAPPENED TO THAT BELIEF TONIGHT, HUH**__?" _

_Luffy then did something that no one, not even Hazuki, ever expected out of him. He punched her…It wasn't that hard of a punch but it still was hard enough to knock her to the ground. Hazuki put a hand on her red and throbbing cheek and stared up at her father, her eyes full of questions. The rest of the crew had gone deadly silent. Nami clapped her hands over her mouth. _

_"'What happened to that belief'?" Luffy repeated, his fist shaking, "You want to know what happened? That belief…That mercy I had…It did nothing to save your sister eight years ago! THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED!"_

_Hazuki stood up slowly and looked carefully at her father._

_"Papa…" she began slowly, "What are trying to protect? Cause it definitely isn't me!"_

_With those words, Hazuki turned and ran past her fellow pirates to the girls' room. _

* * *

Hazuki sighed…Maybe she shouldn't have said those last few words. She looked toward the door as she heard it open. Ace was in the doorway.

"Hey, Haz," he greeted, "Can I come in?"

Hazuki nodded softly as Ace entered. He pulled over a stool and sat on it.

"You feeling alright, Haz?" he asked, ruffling his niece's orange hair lightly.

"What do you think, Uncle Ace?" Hazuki said glumly, "I know why you're here…You're here to tell me it was wrong of me to yell at Papa like that. That I should go and apologize to-"

"Actually, believe it or not, I'm on your side in this, Haz."

Hazuki shot up at Ace's words and looked over at his serious face incredulously. Ace…Portgas D. Ace…Luffy's ever loyal older brother…Was siding _against_ him? Ace could see this disbelief on Hazuki's face.

"I know it sounds odd," he laughed, "But it's true. This Luffy is not the Luffy I grew up with. He's not the Luffy that followed me around every day and cried about the littlest things. He's not the Luffy I ran into that day in Alabasta…He's not the Luffy that saved me at Marineford…"

Hazuki looked at the sad expression on her uncle's face. She sighed.

"Uncle Ace," she began slowly, "I know Papa thinks he's protecting me by going overboard with the babying…But, I think that's not it. He's protecting something else and he doesn't even realize it…"

* * *

"AH! That was delicious!"

Caout had finished up her fourth goose and rubbed her stomach with a satisfied smile. A few feet away from her, Hero was gnawing on his own goose. Caout was surprised. She never thought she would be able to catch six geese. Especially with all of them flying all over the place like that. What surprised Caout even more was the fact that she made a fire and was able to cook the geese without taking out the forest. Caout looked at the last goose that was beside her.

"I hope Nyshairyn will be okay with just one goose!" she said looking over at the girl, "Speaking of…Hey, Nyshairyn! When the hell are you getting up? I don't know this forest like you do!"

Caout went over to the girl and shook her shoulder. Soon, Tide groaned. She got up slowly and rubbed the back of her head. Caout handed her the goose, saying that a little meat would perk her right up. Tide chewed the goose absentmindedly. She was really hungry. It was during her tenth bite that she remembered what happened to her.

"Now I remember!" she yelled as she backed away quickly from Caout, "Y-y-y-you! Back in the forest…Your neck…It became really long!"

"Oh! Yeah, I stretched!" Caout exclaimed, stretching her cheek a bit, "I'm a rubber girl!"

Tide looked at her carefully.

"So, you ate a Devil Fruit?" she asked, continuing to eat her goose.

"Oh no, not me! I'm actually a Blood Fruit user!"

Tide nodded with understanding. Blood Fruit user was the name given to a person who had Devil Fruit powers not from eating the fruit, but from genetics. There were a bunch of people like Caout all over the world.

"Well, that will make your search for your parents a whole lot easier, right?" Tide said, "All you have to do is find someone who can stretch like you can."

"Yeah, I thought it would be easy too. But, so far I've heard nothing about anyone in the world with a power like that! It's so annoying!"

Caout crossed her arms in front of her and sighed deeply. Hero, who was done with his goose, walked over to the now awake Tide and sat in her lap as she finished her goose. Caout scrambled back a few feet away from the two, eyeing Hero carefully.

"Oh, hey, Hero!" Tide said as she patted the puppy, "I thought that Listerra would've left you behind."

"G-g-g-give me a b-b-b-b-break, Nyshairyn!" Caout stuttered, "I don't like d-d-d-dogs but I have a h-h-h-h-heart!"

Tide rolled her eyes at the trembling girl while Hero happily licked the girl's hand.

"Say, Listerra? What made you want to find your parents?"

Caout looked at Tide's face and frowned, thinking.

"Well, this may sound really cliché, but I wanted to know who brought me into this world. And I wanted to know why they left me in a place like…_that_…"

Tide didn't bother to ask what "that" was.

"Maybe they didn't mean to leave you there. Maybe they had no choice."

"I'll find that out for myself when I find them," Caout said, staring up at the endless blue sky above her, "I want to know who they are…Whether or not they're nice people…If they're good, then I'll stay with them and we can be a family again."

"And if they're bad people?" Tide asked.

Caout sighed deeply and looked over at Tide with a weary smile.

"I don't know…I guess I'll be on my own again…"

* * *

I'm not sure how much longer this story will be. I know how it's gonna end but getting there is the hard part. I may not finish before I leave next Friday…Oh well!

Please keep reading and reviewing!


	13. I Will Not Go Back

I'm having a lot of fun with this story…You have no idea. On a side note, I read chapter 590 of One Piece…No spoilers but I never felt like crying more in my life. And it didn't help that right after reading the chapter, I watched episode 9, "Why We Fight", of the really awesome show "Band of Brothers". Way to go Oda for another amazing chapter! And way to go "Band of Brothers" for making me want to cry at seven in the morning!

You know it's funny…I thought I would get negative feedback for having Luffy punch Hazuki last chapter…But no one has said anything yet…

Disclaimer: Oda may own One Piece in all its glory…But there are a few things he'll never own…MY OWN CHARACTERS! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

* * *

It had been two full days…Caout and Tide, oh, and little Hero too, were still wandering through the forest path on their ways to the docks. Tide stated that they should reach the other end of the island in another two to three days, news that Caout complained about for a while until Tide picked up Hero and put him within a foot of Caout's face.

Now, Tide was trying to find Caout, who ran off like a cheetah due to Hero's close proximity.

"C'mon, Listerra! I said I was sorry!" Tide called as she and Hero looked all around.

After who knows how long, they found Caout up in a two hundred foot tree, cowering. It took another ten minutes to convince her to come down.

"Don't ever do that again, Nyshairyn!" Caout yelled as she jumped out of the tree.

Tide watched as the girl landed on the ground and bounced a few times. It was going to take her some time before she got used to the fact that the girl was rubber.

"I can't believe you," Tide said as she shook her head, "Why are you so afraid of dogs?"

Caout fidgeted and looked everywhere except at Tide's face. Tide tapped her foot impatiently and continued to stare at Caout until the kid finally relented.

"Okay!" Caout exclaimed, "I wasn't always afraid of dogs! I loved them when I was really young. Look, to put a long story short, I got attacked by a pack of dogs one day. I've been terrified ever since."

Tide nodded. Okay, that was perfectly understandable. After all, it was only normal for a kid to be scared of dogs if that kid was attacked. Hero, who was resting peacefully in Tide's arms, whined and gave cute little puppy barks.

"Listerra, look at this little guy," Tide said as she held up Hero. Caout backed away a few feet, "He doesn't look scary does he? He doesn't look like he'll attack you at any moment…"

"Appearances are deceiving, Nyshairyn!" Caout yelled as she inched closer to the tree, "Yet another wise bit of information a friend once told me…."

"So, who is this friend?"

Caout frowned and turned away from Tide. She went onto the road and started walking away.

"That's none of your concern…Now, come on! I want to get to those docks soon!"

Tide rolled her eyes as she put Hero on the ground. What a weird girl…

* * *

Meanwhile, deep in the forest, a bit further back than the girls and their puppy, Captain Silver and his men were traveling on the road. They looked this way and that. Whenever they heard an odd noise, they shot first and asked questions later. After all, their only goal now was to find Nyshairyn Tide and her possible hostage, Caout.

"I wonder how long it will take until we run into them," Kushiro said aloud, "Where the hell are they even going in the first place?"

"Well, Kushiro," Silver answered as the men walked through the dark and foreboding woods, "This path's end destination is the docks. Unlike the docks we were at, those docks are for passenger ships headed off to other islands…It looks like our little target is looking for a way out of here."

"The coward! So she would rather run than face us?"

"Of course, Kushiro…That's the kind of creatures Elementists are…And that poor young lady has been forced along for this ride. How sad…."

Silver stopped in the middle of the road and looked to the ground. The rest of the Marines watched as he crouched down and examined the road. A small smile came across his face.

"Hmm…That little demon should have been careful…"

Silver motioned his men over to where he was and pointed at the ground. There, fading but still barely visible, were footprints. One track was from bare feet, the second was from someone wearing dress shoes. Silver and his men followed the tracks, until they suddenly became just bare footed tracks.

"Where did the other set go?" one Marine asked, puzzled.

"Don't know….But it looks like this set heads into the forest…" Silver said, "C'mon, let's go!"

After several minutes of darting through the trees and dodging branches, Captain Silver and his men came upon a bear. It was lying on its back. Silver assumed the creature was dead, although if one looked closely enough one would most likely be able to see its chest rising and lowering. But who would want to get that close to a bear?

"That girl must have done this!" one Marine said appalled.

Normally, attacking a bear, while bad in some situations, was an overlooked event. Not on Garuka though. You see, Garuka held the utmost pride and respect for its bears. Laying a finger on one of these creatures was considered a most heinous crime.

"You just love to dig yourself deeper and deeper into a hole, don't you, Elementist?" Silver said to himself, "Alright men, let's keep going! Those kids must be far ahead of us by now…"

* * *

Reo walked casually through the forest, paying no mind to anything in particular. If an animal happened to come across his path, he would simply kick it away or stomp on it. He didn't care. All he knew was that, somewhere in this forest, Listerra D. Caout was running from him but she didn't know it.

"I swear," Reo said, "Sometimes that girl can be unbelievably stupid! Does she honestly believe she can escape her life? Does she truly believe she can forget her past?"

Reo chuckled as he shook his head. Yes, young Caout was quite a fool. An absolute fool who he needed to find before the Master got too mad at him. Reo looked around. Although it was daytime, the dense foliage of the trees made it very dark. Almost night like…He wondered…

Reo pulled his cloak open and out jumped four blobs. The blobs grew and became human sized demons. They looked at Reo with their piercing red eyes and showed him their snow white fangs.

"Listen, you guys," Reo said to the four demons, "I need you guys to do me a favor. I'm not sure when I'll run into our young Miss Caout. So, can you boys do me the favor of going off ahead and seeing if you can find her? Remember, don't kill her. Just keep her occupied until I can come along…"

The demons nodded sinisterly and took off into the shadows.

"Let's see how you'll handle this, Miss Listerra D. Caout…"

* * *

"Nyshairyn….are we there yet?"

Tide halted in the middle of the very dark area of the forest and turned around to face Caout. Caout was slumped over and looking extremely tired. Hero was standing by Tide's legs and also looking over at the girl with the cowboy hat.

"Listerra, I'm not sure if you recall, but I told you a while ago that we'd get there in two or three days' time."

"But that's too long!" Caout whined.

"Oh well, tough luck!" Tide said back, rubbing her temples with her hands.

Honestly, how could one girl be such a pain in the ass? Hero yawned and trotted over to Caout, who proceed to start stepping back with every move Hero made.

"Hey you!" Caout said nervously as she backed away, "D-d-d-didn't I t-t-t-t-tell you to stay t-t-t-ten feet away from me at all t-t-t-times?"

Tide ran up to Caout and grabbed her, so that the girl wouldn't be able to run away. With a hard push, she forced Caout to go down on her knees. Hero walked closer and closer, tongue out, tail wagging and eyes beaming. Caout stared at the little puppy with wide eyes, her body sweating profusely and trembling.

"NYSHAIRYN! LET ME UP! LET ME UP! LET ME UP!"

"Not a chance," Tide said sternly as the puppy grew ever closer, "You have to get over this fear of yours. And what better way than by facing it head on?"

Caout looked up at Tide with panicky eyes. Why now? Why in the name of all that is holy did she have to get over her fear now? She looked back over in Hero's direction. He was now three feet away from her…Now it was two feet…Now it was one…Caout shut her eyes tightly and winced, waiting for that little fur ball to touch her.

Caout was surprised when nothing happened. She opened her eyes slowly and saw, to her utter astonishment, that Hero took a seat a few inches in front of her. He tilted his head and looked at her expectantly.

"See?" Tide said, "Hero wants you to make the first move…It's your choice, Listerra…"

Caout looked back and forth between the little black and white puppy in front of her and the pink-haired, blue eyed girl keeping her from running away. Finally, she gave the puppy one good, long look. He gave her a bunch of little yip noises. His too big, brown eyes sparkled as he stared at Caout. He panted lightly and his tiny little white tail with the black tip wagged.

"Okay…" Caout admitted to Tide rather reluctantly, "I guess he's kind of cute…"

"He is, isn't he? What did I tell you? Now…what are you going to do next?"

Caout moaned as she stared at little Hero. Slowly, she raised her hand. Hero didn't move an inch, apparently aware of how hard this was for Caout. Caout brought her hand closer and closer to the absolutely still little puppy. Now she was six inches away…Now four inches….Now one inch…

A whooshing sound filled the air. Caout and Tide froze. What in the world…?

Without any warning, Hero went flying. A bit of warm, bright red blood spattered across Caout's shocked face. Tide followed the puppy's body as it landed twenty feet away. Tide quickly ran over, hoping that it was just a minor wound. A minor wound she could patch up quickly.

"HERO!" she yelled as she approached the puppy.

Tide stopped a foot short of Hero. She didn't need to go any further.

There was no hope for Hero…

Caout slowly turned her head in the direction of Tide and Hero. Her mouth was slightly open, her eyes wide. The puppy's blood was trailing down her face but she didn't even notice. A few more whooshing noises and four figures appeared. Four very demonic looking figures…

"What the hell?" Tide whispered as she looked at the demons standing a few feet away from her.

The creatures turned their heads to look at the Elementist. Tide shivered as she looked into their blood red eyes. She flinched as they showed her their fangs. The demons started to laugh…A sound of pure evil…They vanished.

"Where did they-?" Tide began, only to be cut off by a whizzing sound past her head.

She tensed up and got her fists up. More whizzing noises came from all around her. So she was dealing with speed demons, huh?

Caout got one look at those demons and she knew….

"Oh God…." she whispered, "They sent Reo…? NYSHAIRYN! BE CAREFUL!"

"You don't have to tell me twice!" she yelled back.

She heard the noise…But where was its source?

"Ah!" Tide gasped as one of the demons slashed her shoulder.

Tide growled and stared around her. Then, she was caught again on the forearm. These guys were fast, she couldn't keep track of their movements. Plus, it didn't help that it was as dark as night where they were.

"GUM-GUM PISTOL!"

Tide watched as Caout shot her arm out and nailed one of the demons in the jaw. The demon snarled at the girl before disappearing again.

"Get down, Nyshairyn!" Caout warned, "Gum-Gum Whip!"

Tide flattened herself against the ground as Caout stretched her leg and swung it around in a full circle. It collided with nothing however.

"Damn it!" Caout hissed.

Tide jumped to her feet and looked around carefully. She wasn't going to be upstaged so easily. She grew incredibly silent and listened. A whoosh…

"WIND SCYTHE!" Tide yelled.

She waved her arm in front of her quickly, sending out a wave of wind. The wave cut through two of the demons and also cut through a bunch of trees, sending them toppling. The demons looked shocked for a moment but soon reattached themselves and disappeared again.

"Damn bastards…" Tide said as she looked around.

"Gah!" Caout said as one of the demons sliced her leg.

This was getting ridiculous! If only…

"Nyshairyn!" Caout yelled, inspiration striking her, "You've got to get a fire going!"

"WHAT?" Tide yelled, "This isn't the time for-"

"Trust me! Now do it!"

Tide groaned. She had no control over her fire! How was she going to do this? She sighed deeply and kept throwing punches. Air…Air…Air…She tried harder and harder. Air…Air…Air…Air…Air…

"C'mon!" Tide growled as the whooshing and the laughing intensified. She could hear Caout's yells of pain and felt her own skin being sliced open, "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon!"

Finally, there it was. Tide threw a punch and a ball of fire collided with the pile of fallen trees, setting it ablaze. The area was lit up. The demons stopped moving and proceeded to scream in terror and pain. Tide watched as one by one, they disappeared. Only one was left. As it vanished, it turned to Caout.

"Don't think you've won!" it growled menacingly, "You'll have to go back! _He's_ on this island and _he'll_ capture you! _Then, you'll go back_!"

With that, it vaporized.

"Who's 'he'?" Tide asked, "Listerra, what was that-?"

She stopped as she saw Caout on her knees. She wrapped her arms around her and was trembling. Tide was puzzled.

"Listerra, what's-?"

"I won't go back…" Caout muttered lowly, "I won't…I won't…"

Tide walked closer to the girl and kneeled before her.

"Listerra, what are you talk-?"

"I WON'T GO BACK!" Caout suddenly yelled, "I WILL NOT GO BACK TO MIZURE! I CAN'T!"

Whether from shock or pain, Caout then fainted. Tide stared at the girl, baffled.

"…..Mizure….?"

* * *

Yay, another fight! But first things first…Let's have a moment of silence for young Hero…

I originally didn't plan on killing him off. But his only purpose in the story was cuteness and comedic relief with Caout…Oh well.

Please read and review!


	14. Monsters

Happy 4th of July everyone! Yeah, America's celebrating her 234th (I believe my math is right) birthday! I hope everyone sees plenty of fireworks tonight. Enjoy the holiday! Man….I'll be leaving this Friday…But I don't want anyone out there to fret. I will make sure I update the day I come back! …Or maybe the day after…It really depends on what time I come back home.

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece (Yeah, I couldn't come up with anything creative to say on the subject).

* * *

Caout slowly opened her eyes. She was somewhere dark. The faint sounds of crickets chirping in the distance told her that it was probably night time. Caout realized she was lying on something…soft. And very cool.

_Oh…This is grass…_Caout realized, smelling the familiar scent of the ground. _But why am I lying on it? What happened…?_

Another odor soon made its way to Caout's nose. Caout made a face at the smell…It was awful. Like rotting fish mixed with decaying corpses. Caout lifted her head slightly and saw cloth wrapped on several parts of her body. She brought her wrapped arm to her face and smelled the cloth on it.

"Ugh…" Caout grimaced, "Yeah, it's definitely from these wraps."

"It's medicine…"

Caout sat up slowly and saw Tide sitting a few feet away from her. She looked around and saw a faint glow coming from the other side of the clearing she was lying in. There was a small fire, burning up what looked like downed trees. Caout glanced around the small, dark clearing. Something was missing…

"Oh, where's that little pup?" Caout asked, "Hero, right?"

Tide was silent and motioned over to the other end of the clearing. Caout followed the girl's gaze and saw the pile of overturned dirt and the two sticks tied together to form a cross. Her eyes became downcast…

"I'm sorry," Caout whispered, "I knew how much you liked him…"

"Yeah…" Tide said, "Well, it's not like I haven't seen dead things before…"

Caout looked over at Tide and noticed something different about the girl.

"Hey, Nyshairyn…Where's your bow? And what happened to the bottom of your dress?"

It was true. The white bow that was wrapped around Tide's waist was now gone. Also, it looked like Tide had ripped off nearly half of the bottom of her dress.

"Where do you think I got the bandages from, Listerra?" Tide said.

Caout looked at her and Tide's bandages and saw that some were orange and some were white. Caout sniffed the pieces of cloth and the smell nearly made her throw up.

"They're medicinal herbs," Tide explained, "If one knows one's way around the forest, one can find anything. The smell will go away in a few days."

Caout wondered what on earth she needed medicine for when she suddenly recalled what happened. That was right…Those demons had attacked her and Tide…As Caout looked over her wounds she realized something important.

"Nyshairyn! You didn't replace these bandages, did you?"

Caout held up her hand, which was wrapped around the palm. Caout sighed in relief as Tide shook her head no.

"Those bandages looked clean so I didn't bother with them," Tide said, "Which reminds me…I bet you can take them off now. If they're that clean after these few days, I think the wounds have healed."

Caout quickly shook her head no. There was no way she was ever, ever going to take off the bandages on her hand. She couldn't, no matter what…

"By the way, what's Mizure?"

Caout's heart skipped a beat and her breathing nearly came to a halt. She snapped her head over to Tide, who was looking over at her casually.

"W-w-where did you h-h-h-hear that name?" Caout stuttered, trying to get her breath back.

"From you…After we finished fighting those demons, you started freaking out and yelling. Suddenly you said that you wouldn't go back to Mizure and then you fainted."

Caout put her head in her hands. She was such a freakin' idiot! What was she thinking, saying "Mizure" out loud? Caout hit her head several times, muttering insults at herself with each blow. Tide wasn't sure what to make of the situation.

"Listerra…" Tide began as soon as Caout had taken a pause from hitting her head, "Is Mizure the name of that place you keep mentioning in that weird way? You know, like whenever you say 'that place' or 'there'?"

Caout looked at Tide for several moments before finally nodding yes.

"You see," Caout said, "I really don't want to talk about that place. Mizure is a small island. Believe it or not, it's actually a Rootless Island…"

Tide was a little surprised by that. Rootless Islands were very, very, _very_ rare. They were islands that didn't stay in one place. Of course, all land masses moved due to the plates on the planet's surface and all that science junk. But Rootless Islands weren't like that. They moved as though they were ships. They just sailed on the waters, going wherever the currents carried them. Part of the reason they are so rare is that many Rootless Islands were destroyed when they collided with other islands...It was apparently quite the sight if one happened to run across one of these Rootless Islands.

"I've been on Mizure for as long as I can remember…" Caout continued, looking at the ground, "Ever since I was a baby. The people there told me my parents left me there when I was a few months old but they didn't say why. I grew up on that island."

"Mizure is absolute hell!" Caout growled, clawing at the grass and dirt beneath her hands, "I escaped there a little over a week ago, much to my surprise. I was only able to make a good escape because that other island was so close by."

"And who is the 'he' that those demons were talking about?" Tide asked.

Caout furrowed her brows, not sure what Tide was talking about until she heard those voices in her head…

_"Don't think you've won! You'll have to go back! _He's _on this island and he'll capture you! _Then, you'll go back_!"_

Caout stared at the skies…So…That man was here on Garuka, huh? It would explain the presence of the demons.

"The 'he' they were talking about is a man named Reo," Caout explained with a heavy frown on her face, "That man, if you can even call him that, is horrible…I was hoping they wouldn't send him after me. But of course they would send one of their best men to retrieve their best tool…"

Tide raised an eyebrow at that. "Tool", she said? What could Caout possibly mean by that? But, based on the look on Caout's face, Tide knew she shouldn't ask anything more. It was obvious that the subject of Mizure was a hard topic for Caout to speak of.

Tide knew all too well the difficulty of speaking of a horrid past…

"…Listerra?" Tide called, waiting until Caout had looked at her, "I'm gonna tell you something else about me…Only because you told me something about you…Will you listen?"

Caout nodded slowly. She was game for learning anything knew about Tide, who was still such a mystery to her even though they had known each other for a few days now.

"Okay," Tide sighed, "Remember how I told you that while Elementists are hated by normal humans, I'm hated by Elementists as well? Well, it's not just me. It's rare for people like me to be born but there are a bunch of us in the world…We are all hated by both normal humans and our own people."

"I still think that's stupid," Caout said, "You're people should know better than to be prejudiced against others."

"I agree…But that's how things worked out. You see, among the Elementists, there are those who are born with an incredibly strong power. Too strong…A power that can go out of control because of the sun."

Caout tilted her head in confusion. Tide had just lost her.

"Oh, I should explain better…" Tide said when she noticed Caout's face, "You see, an Elementist's abilities come from nature. Elementists use the four elements of nature. But all of nature derives its power from the sun, which sustains life and basically is the reason that nature exists in the first place."

Caout nodded her head. She understood…more or less…

"Now," Tide continued, "While an Elementist uses the one or two elements he or she has been born with, the strength of that Elementist comes from his or her ability to pull the power of the sun from the elements. Once in a while, there are Elementists born who can't control that ability. They are called Carriers…"

"Carriers are easy to identify," Tide continued, "We are stronger and a little more violent than other Elementists. We have…_issues_…"

Tide stared at the sky. She saw the moon and the stars. Thank God it was night…Tide looked at the gold band on her arm, as did Caout. Tide pulled Caout nearer to the fire so that Tide could see what she was doing.

Caout watched as Tide pressed a few spots on her gold band. Caout thought the girl was just tapping random spots when she noticed that each spot Tide pressed glowed. After a minute, with a click, the gold band became a little bigger, loose enough for Tide to slide off her arm. What technology…

Once Tide had slid off the band, Caout could see that the spot on Tide's arm where the band had been was very pale, indicating that the area had received in extremely low amount of sunlight. But, what surprised Caout the most was what was on that area of nearly white skin. It was an intricate mark.

It was a black outline of a circle. Inside the circle was a black symbol that Caout could not recognize for the life of her. It seemed to be an ancient symbol of sorts. It looked sort of like an elaborate image of a fluere de lys. This incredibly beautiful mark had been hidden by that gold band.

"All Carriers are born with this mark on their arms," Tide explained as Caout admired the mark, "No one knows why...When an Elementist has this mark, it is said to be a day of great mourning and tragedy. This mark symbolizes that we do not have the ability to control our strength."

"It's so pretty!" Caout said, "Why do you have to keep it covered?"

"Like I said, Elementists' strength comes from the energy they draw from the sun. But a Carrier cannot control that ability well, which probably explains why I have trouble with my fire powers. And this mark is no help. If sunlight was to directly hit the mark of a Carrier, that Carrier would become nothing less than a beast…Don't ask me to explain further than that…"

Caout remained silent as Tide slipped on the gold band. With a click, it shrunk back to its regular size and covered the mark. Tide crossed her legs and looked Caout in the eyes. Caout waited patiently for whatever Tide was going to say next.

"For centuries, Elementists had used all kinds of materials to cover the marks of the Carriers. Around fifty years ago, an Elementist created these gold bands. They are impossible to get off unless you know the secret code. Now, any Carrier born is given this band from birth onward. The band is amazing in that it grows with the Carrier."

Tide let out a heavy sigh.

"While that band keeps your powers in check," Caout stated, "It also makes it obvious for people to identify you as a Carrier. And everyone, including Elementists, sees you as a monster because of something that was never your fault…You're looked down upon just for that…"

Tide's silence told Caout that she was right. Tide was surprised by Caout's actually logical conclusion. It was one of the very few smart things Tide had heard the girl say since she met her.

"I've been strong since I was little," Caout said, "I think it's because I might have a strong bloodline. Because of that strength, because I was born with powers I didn't ask for, those on Mizure thought I would be the perfect tool for their own uses…In the end, who are the real monsters? The ones who have monstrous abilities due to random circumstances or the ones who deemed it necessary to look down upon those who have these abilities?"

Tide looked over at Caout, who stared at the sky, a most serious expression on her face.

"Boy, Listerra," Tide sighed, "You are too philosophical for your age…"

"I guess…"

Tide stood up and stretched, telling Caout that she would get materials to build some structures for them to sleep in. Caout volunteered to come along, wanting to learn how to build some shelter as well.

"Hey, Nyshairyn?" Caout began as the duo collected wood, "What does 'philosophical' mean?"

Tide groaned and shook her head slowly, choosing not to answer. Maybe she was giving this rubber girl too much credit. But Tide had to admit…

It was kind of nice having someone who could understand…

* * *

I think it was nice to have a nice, relaxing talking chapter after last chapter. So we learn a tiny bit more about Caout's mysterious past. And we also learn more about the enigma that is Tide.

Read and review, pretty please with a cherry on top!


	15. How We Met

You know, it's funny. I only just realized yesterday that for the past two chapters I didn't do anything on what the Straw Hat Pirates were doing. So I wanted to dedicate most of this chapter to them. What lies in store for our favorite pirate crew? Read on and discover!

Also, I'm sure a bunch of you are disappointed by the lack of fighting in this story. Well, this story isn't really about the fights. It never was. I put little fights in whenever necessary but this story isn't centered on the powers and the fighting. This is a story about the relationship between Caout and Tide and the relationship between Luffy and Hazuki. Oh, an adventure too…We can't forget the adventure.

I am disappointed about one thing. I really, really want to show off Ayrel's Devil Fruit power but I have yet to find the moment. Maybe I can do that this chapter…? (Wink, wink)

Disclaimer: Ja ne posjeduju One Piece (This is Croatian for "I do not own One Piece. I believe it is accurate…Not exactly sure since I used an online translator). By the way, I'm not Croatian. I recently took an interest in the language because of this other story I am doing.

* * *

The Thousand Sunny was around three days into her voyage to the island of Garuka. She and her passengers were nearly halfway done with their trip. The atmosphere onboard the Thousand Sunny was one of anticipation of what answers this island would offer. There was also, however, an air of tension around the ship.

After departing from the island of Serafus, after getting into a fight with each other, Luffy and Hazuki have not spoken a single word to each other. They avoid each other whenever possible. If there is ever an occasion where they do have to be in the same room, they will not look or touch each other.

Each day Nami tried desperately to break down the ill feelings between her husband and her daughter. But nothing worked. The two were both pigheaded, each believing that the other was in the wrong. It was driving Nami insane.

"I can't take this anymore!" Nami groaned as she sat down tiredly in a chair on deck.

"Don't worry, Nami!" Ayrel said, "Those two will get over it."

"It's been three days, Ayrel! You and I both know how stubborn those two are."

Ayrel sighed, realizing the truth in what Nami was saying. Luffy and Hazuki were both really stubborn. Ayrel knew how stubborn Luffy was. She got up and told Nami that she would speak with Luffy. Nami wished her luck.

* * *

"Luffy…?"

Luffy was sitting on the lion head of the Sunny, staring out at the ocean. He turned his head slightly to acknowledge Ayrel's presence.

"What is it, Ayrel?" Luffy asked.

Ayrel put her hands to her hips and scowled at her cousin.

"Don't you use that tone with me. Why are you moping around here when you should be talking with your daughter…?"

Luffy groaned and turned away from her. Ayrel, not wanting to be ignored, pulled Luffy off the lion head. She forced him to sit down on the deck. Ayrel sat down beside him.

"Luffy…" she began sternly, "You can't avoid her forever. She's your kid. Now, I want you to get over this stubbornness of yours and go and have a nice, long conversation with Haz."

"I'm not being stubborn, Ayrel…" Luffy said seriously, "Now would you just go?"

Ayrel sighed deeply, shaking her head at Luffy. They sat in silence for a few minutes before a memory suddenly came to Ayrel.

"Hey, Lu?" Ayrel said, using her old nickname for the straw hat wearing boy, "Remember that time when we first met? You, me and Ace?"

Luffy looked over at Ayrel, his face silently asking her what that had to do with anything.

"Remember how you and I fought and wouldn't give up? And how Ace finally made us get along?"

Luffy stared at the skies. He remembered that day like it was yesterday.

* * *

_An eight year old Luffy was trailing behind an eleven year old Ace. They had their staffs in their hands and were walking deep into the forest. They were going to train hard and become super strong. They were going to be the best pirates this world had ever seen._

_While they still went over to Dadan's place a lot, Luffy and Ace had decided to try living on their own. It was going well! They had their own tree house in the forest. A place that was very secret. Not even their grandpa knew about it._

_"Ace!" the young Luffy said excitedly, "I'm gonna kick your ass today! Just wait and see!"_

_Ace looked over his shoulder, amused at his little brother's determination._

_"Luffy…You haven't been able to beat me once in the past year. What makes you think you will win now?"_

_"Cause I will! I have to be really strong if I'm gonna be the Pirate King!"_

_Ace chuckled at Luffy. That boy and his dream…As the two approached the area where they trained, which was near their tree house, Ace came to a sudden halt. He stuck out his arm to stop Luffy. Luffy saw that his big brother was staring at their tree house, a serious expression on his face._

_"What's up, Ace?" Luffy asked loudly, only to be hit across the head by Ace, "Ow! What was that for, you jerk?"_

_"Shut up!" Ace hissed, "There's someone in there!"_

_Luffy looked up at the tree house and saw that there was some movement by the window. Ace and Luffy looked at each other and nodded. They slowly and quietly made their way up the tree. They both stood outside the door, wondering the same thing. Who had found their super secret hideout?_

_"Okay, Luffy!" Ace said, gripping his staff tightly, "When I say go, we will rush in and attack, okay? Remember…Only when I say go-" _

_"GO!" Luffy yelled charging in._

_"Luffy, you moron!" Ace yelled as he too ran in._

_Ace saw that Luffy had stopped in his tracks, his staff in a non-offensive position. Ace followed his brother's gaze and saw what had stopped him. There, sitting in a chair, looking curiously at the two brothers was a creature that Ace and Luffy didn't have much knowledge on…_

_A girl…_

_She had long brown hair and dark brown eyes. She was wearing a white tank top and blue jeans. There was a pouch attached to her leg. In her lap were a book and a pencil._

_"Hello!" the girl said as she put the book and pencil in her pouch. She stood up and stretched, "Nice of you boys to finally show up."_

_"W-w-who are you?" Luffy asked, bringing his staff back up to attack the girl if necessary._

_The girl chuckled at the weapons the boys held._

_"What, are you two gonna fight me with those metal staff?" she asked in an amused tone._

_"If you cause any problems," Ace said._

_The girl raised an eyebrow at the statement. She walked towards the boys, a casual smile on her face. Luffy and Ace put up their staffs, unsure of what the girl was planning. They were surprised when she placed a hand on each staff. She gave them a small smile._

_"Cause problems, huh?" she asked Ace, "Problems like this?"_

_Ace furrowed his brow, wondering what he was planning. Suddenly, he dropped his staff to the floor and shook his hands. You know that feeling when you touch a doorknob and it shocks you? Well, Ace just had that feeling times ten. Ace looked bewildered at the girl, who kicked away the staff. _

_"That trick won't work on you, will it?" the girl asked Luffy, who looked over at Ace in shock._

_Luffy grunted as he swung his staff at the girl, only to see the weirdest thing ever. His staff had gone through her. He saw some weird sparks come out of her as the staff went through. The girl smiled at the young boy._

_"Now do you get what I am?" she asked Luffy, who looked at her with wide eyes._

_"…You're a…a….ghost! Yeah, you're a ghost!" Luffy said. How else would the staff have gone through her?_

_Ace shook his head while the girl started laughing hysterically._

_"Man!" she exclaimed after a minute, "Gramps told me you were something! He didn't mention how much of a fool his grandson was!" _

_Ace and Luffy looked at the girl in confusion…She was talking about __**their**__ grandpa? And __**she**__ called him Gramps? Ayrel saw the puzzlement on the boys' faces._

_"I guess I should introduce myself, huh?" she said, "My name is Silverra D. Ayrel. I'm ten years old. I'm Luffy's cousin."_

_The boys stared at the girl for a few more seconds…_

_"….__**WHAT THE HELL**__?"_

* * *

_It took a while but the girl named Ayrel slowly explained that she really wasn't Luffy's cousin…More like a tenth or twelfth cousin. She's known about the two of them for a long time. She knew all about Ace and who he __**really**__ was and she knew about Luffy too from what Garp told her._

_"So, why are you here?" Ace asked, still suspicious of the girl._

_"My parents are really important people so they are often busy," Ayrel explained, "Normally they drop me off with Gramps but he was busy too. So they decided to come to the East Blue and let me hang out here for a while. I thought it would be interesting to finally meet you boys."_

_Ace backed off, still wary. Luffy was frowning at the girl in confusion. Ayrel asked what was on his mind._

_"If you're not a ghost," Luffy began, "How did the staff go through you?"_

_"Luffy's got a point," Ace added, "And what was that shock you gave me?"_

_"Oh," Ayrel laughed, "I'm a Devil Fruit user. I ate the Spark-Spark Fruit. It allows me to become electricity. Not lightning, let's get that cleared up right now! It's electricity…"_

_"But I ate a Devil Fruit too," Luffy said, stretching his cheek, "I ate the Gum-Gum Fruit. But nothing goes through me…"_

_"Luffy, she's a Logia user," Ace said._

_Luffy nodded, as though he got it. But Ace knew for a fact that Luffy couldn't even spell Logia, let alone know what it meaned. _

_"There are three types of Devil Fruits" Logia, Zoan and Paramecia. Logia fruits grant powers that have to do with natural elements," Ace explained, "Elements such as fire, water, air or light. Logia fruits are considered the rarest and the most powerful out of the Devil Fruits."_

_"If a Logia user's element isn't solid," Ayrel continued, "Then no physical harm can come to that user. But it's hard because I don't have the ability to automatically make attacks go through. I have to think about it before that happens."_

_Luffy looked hard at Ayrel. Ayrel honestly thought the boy's head would explode if he thought any harder._

_"So basically…" Luffy said, "…You're…a cheater."_

_Ayrel tilted her head. What kind of conclusion was that?_

_"I f you don't let attacks hit you, then you're a cheater. You aren't fighting fairly."_

_Ayrel growled at the boy._

_"I fight fairly, you little brat!" Ayrel said, "I am not a cheater!"_

_"Yeah, you are!" Luffy yelled back._

_"Okay, now!" Ace said, trying to stop this fight from escalating any further, "That's enough from both of you. Let's talk about something else…Dreams! How about that?"_

_The topic of dreams got Luffy really excited._

_"I'm going to gather up a great crew and become the Pirate King!" he yelled with a grand smile that could wipe away any tension._

_"My dream…" Ace began, "I guess, more than anything, I want to become a world renowned pirate! I want to become more and more famous, much stronger! Then the world will have to acknowledge my existence at last!"_

_The two boys, proud of their dreams, looked at Ayrel expectantly. She looked back and forth between the boys, an odd expression on her face._

_"Well, this is awkward…" she said with a nervous chuckle, "Because I'm going to become a really famous Marine…Which means that I'm gonna have chase you two…"_

_Ace took this revelation pretty well, stating that he'd never let himself get captured. But it was official…Luffy and Ayrel didn't like each other. Luffy concluded that it was obvious that they weren't mean to be friends, a statement that Ayrel readily agreed to. But they would have to deal with each other for the next three weeks. Poor Ace…He'd have a lot to deal with…_

* * *

I know what you guys are thinking…Why on earth am I stopping the chapter with a flashback? Especially since the flashback doesn't seem to tie into anything in the current storyline? But trust me on this. This flashback, which will end next chapter, will help out with Luffy and Hazuki's issue. Plus, like I said last time, this is a story about relationships.

Also, I wanted the chance to write the old Luffy's personality….So adorable!

I think I may be going a little slower with my updates this week. After all, I'm leaving Friday and there's a lot to do before then. We'll see how things work out…

Please keep reading and reviewing, okay?


	16. The Vow

**Really Important Message For Readers!**

I will be heading off on vacation this Friday! I won't be back until the end of this month so I don't want anyone to freak out by my not updating for three weeks. Please be patient and I promise that when I come back, I'll update a lot! This story will be finished before summer's end! And maybe I can start another one before summer is over…

And thus we continue our flashback into Luffy, Ace and Ayrel's past. Like I said, this flashback may seem very random but trust me it will help out when it comes to Luffy and Hazuki's relationship with each other. So let's do this!

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece in any way, shape or form. Caout and her peers are the only ones I own. Don't you think if I owned One Piece, a certain someone would still be around? (Starts sobbing in a cold, dark and rainy corner…)

* * *

_"You can't fight with us, Ayrel!" Luffy yelled as the girl trailed after him and Ace._

_"And why not?" Ayrel asked, her hands on her hips._

_"…Cause you're a girl…Girls aren't interested in fighting. None of the girls in Fuchsia Village wanted to fight…"_

_Ayrel growled at the little rubber boy._

_"I'll have you know that I happen to love sparring with others," Ayrel said, "It doesn't matter that I am a girl, dumbass."_

_As the two argued back and forth, Ace was wishing that he had been born without ears. Nearly two of the three weeks that Ayrel was spending with them had already gone by in a flash. Luffy and Ayrel had spent the majority of the eleven days arguing over the littlest of things. They even fought well into the night, when he was trying to go to sleep. It was driving Ace insane that the two couldn't see eye to eye in the slightest._

_"C'mon, you two," Ace called over his shoulder to the younger kids, "You guys must have something in common with each other. You are cousins after all…"_

_"__**Distant**__ cousins," Ayrel told the boy, "And even __**that**__ is too close for me…I don't care if Gramps was busy, I wish Mom and Dad would have dropped me off with him."_

_Ace and Luffy gave each other a look. They never thought they would meet a person who would willingly want to spend a lot of time with Garp. It wasn't that they didn't love their grandfather. It was just that he tried too hard to make them change their goal in life from piracy to joining the Marines. Ace figured that the old man didn't pester Ayrel about it since the girl was already planning on becoming a Marine._

_Eventually, the trio reached their training grounds. Ace convinced Luffy to let Ayrel spar with them. Ace thought it would be an interesting match-up, especially since rubber was electricity's weakness. But, not even a minute into the fight, Ayrel proved that she didn't need her Devil Fruit to take down the straw hat boy. A few well placed hits and some tricky moves later, Luffy was down for the count. When Ace went off against Ayrel, it took a while but he was able to beat her. _

_"Man!" Ayrel said as she laid on the ground after her and Ace's battle, "Heaven help us if __**you**__ ever get your hands on a Devil Fruit! You're already plenty strong without one!"_

_"If I come across a Devil Fruit, I'll eat it," Ace said as he helped the girl up, "I want to be really strong so that world will notice me. If having powers from a fruit will help me become even better, then I'll eat one." _

_"Ayrel!" Luffy yelled, "I want a rematch!"_

_"Sorry, Lu," Ayrel said, infuriating Luffy by calling him by that girlish-sounding nickname, "It's fifty fights a day. No more, no less…"_

_"You're still a cheater," Luffy mumbled, "You always make my attacks go right through you."_

_"I seem to recall just beating you without using my powers once, little twerp."_

_"You know what? When I'm a really awesome pirate, I'll go and find you! Then, I'll kick your ass a thousand times! That way, I can show everyone that you are a lousy fighter and a lousy Marine!"_

_"No matter what you do, I will beat you up over and over and over. I'll catch you long before you ever reach the Grand Line and then you'll have to say bye to your precious dream of being the Pirate King…"_

_**Here we go again…**__Ace thought as the two argued again. __**This is ridiculous…**_

* * *

_"__**Edge**__**Town**__? You guys are going to sneak in there and steal food?"_

_Ayrel had known that Ace and Luffy would sneak away somewhere every day, but she wasn't sure where they went nor did she care enough to find out. So it surprised her that morning that not only did Ace tell her all about what they were doing but also invited her along._

_"I'll have to decline," Ayrel said with a frown, "As a future Marine, I cannot become involved in criminal activity of any kind."_

_"Don't be such a killjoy, Ayrel," Ace said, patting the girl's shoulder, "It'll be fun. Besides, I'm sure the Marines won't care about what you did when you were a little kid."_

_"Aww, Ace!" Luffy whined, "Why do you want __**her**__ to come?" _

_"She's our guest, Luffy," Ace said with a wry smile, "It's rude not to include her in our daily outings, wouldn't you say?"_

_For the first time, though they didn't realize it, Luffy and Ayrel were agreeing on the same thing._

_**Ace is up to something…**_

* * *

_"You little punks! Get back here and pay for that food!"_

_After much convincing, Ace was able to get Ayrel to agree to come along, much to Luffy's disappointment. The trio ran with all their might after having eaten around fifty bowls of ramen and ten pounds of meat before dashing out of the restaurant. While Ayrel had suggested a nice and quiet sneak out of the place, Ace and Luffy scoffed at the idea._

_"One thing you've gotta learn, Ayrel," Luffy had said after laughing at her plan, "If you're escaping, you've got to do it with style."_

_Whether or not jumping through a glass window that was five stories above ground was "stylish" or not would be a conversation for later. Right now, they needed to get away before the authorities got them._

_"I can't believe I actually did a dine-and-dash!" Ayrel complained as the group hid behind some old buildings. _

_"Don't be such a baby," Luffy said._

_"Says the boy who was crying a few minutes ago after getting cut by some of the glass from that window we jumped from…"_

_"I wasn't crying, bastard! I…had something in my eye."_

_As the duo started another infamous argument, Ace seemed blissfully unaware. Suddenly, he fell back and landed on the ground. Luffy and Ayrel were momentarily startled but relaxed once they heard the soft snores. When Ayrel had first experienced one of Ace's narcoleptic fits, she panicked because she thought she was dead. She couldn't understand why Luffy was laughing when his older brother could be dead. But Ace had sat up suddenly and explained what was up, causing Ayrel to start beating up the boy._

_"Oh great, it looks like Mr. Freckles has decided to take a nap on us," Ayrel moaned._

_"…This…could be a problem…" Luffy said._

_Ayrel silently agreed for the second time that day. Though neither of them would ever admit it, they had no idea how to get out of this place successfully. It was understandable for Ayrel, since she was new to the place. But Luffy, who had been going in and out of Edge Town for a year, still had no idea. So the group was stuck hiding in the dark alley until Ace decided to wake up._

_Ayrel pulled out her book and pencil from the pouch on her leg. Luffy, who had the attention span of a gnat, couldn't find anything to do. He sat down on the ground next to Ace and looked over at him with a bored expression. If he had a pen, he would have played connect the dots with the boy's freckles. But Luffy shivered as he remembered what Ace did to him the last time Luffy had done that._

_Luffy looked up at Ayrel. He was surprised to see that she would occasionally look up at him and then look back down at her book. Her pencil was flying over the page. While Luffy didn't really want anything to do with Ayrel, his curiosity got the better of him. He walked over to the girl._

_"What're you doing…?" he asked, sitting down next to her._

_Ayrel looked over at the boy in surprise, as if she hadn't expected him to come over to her. She looked back and forth between the book and Luffy and finally showed him the page she was on._

_Luffy had expected a bunch of words. He was shocked by what he saw._

_A picture…A sketch to be exact…Of him and Ace. The details were amazing. Ayrel had gotten Luffy's bored face down to a T. She was able to draw Ace's peaceful sleeping face exactly. The worn down clothes they wore, the few ripples in the red cloth on Luffy's straw hat, the uneven blocks of the alley…Ayrel had drawn it all so exact. If Luffy didn't know better, he would've thought that he was looking at a black and white photograph._

_"Wow…" Luffy said in awe as he stared at the picture, "You're really good, Ayrel…"_

_Luffy was waiting for Ayrel to brag, to say that of course she knew she was good. But nothing came. Luffy looked up at her face and saw that she had turned her face a bit away from him. But he could still see the redness on her cheeks._

_"Are you blushing?" Luffy asked. It was such a normal thing to do but he had never expected it out of Ayrel._

_"…You're the first person…after Gramps…to tell me that my drawings were good…" Ayrel whispered shyly._

_"WHAT?" Luffy exclaimed in disbelief, "But what about your parents?"_

_"They think this drawing stuff is a waste of time. My parents are really famous Marines and they want me to spend my time training…Not drawing doodles…"_

_"…But you're really good…"_

_Ayrel smiled at Luffy. Luffy was a bit surprised. He had seen the girl smile before but this smile was different…_

_"Thanks…" Ayrel said gratefully, "But it's no use. I have to give up drawing. After I leave here, my parents are going to enroll me into the Nighcurella Marine Base training regimen. So no more silly drawings…"_

_Ayrel looked at her book sadly. Luffy grabbed the book out of her hands and started flipping through the pages. He saw page after page of amazing drawings. Drawings of animals like birds or snakes or bears, drawings of him and Ace when they sparred or did adventures, drawings of the forest or the rivers and waterfalls, drawings of Makino, Dadan, the bandits…Luffy also saw drawings of stuff that wasn't from around this place, drawings from other islands, he guessed. Each one was more beautiful than the last…_

_"I don't get it," Luffy said as he closed the book and gave it back to Ayrel, "If being a Marine means you have to stop drawing, why is it your dream…?"_

_"…It's not my dream…" Ayrel said, "Pirates, Marines…I don't give a damn about any of that! My dream…If I tell you, you can't tell anyone…"_

_Luffy nodded and said he wouldn't say a word._

_"…My dream…is to make a book of drawings of the entire world. I want to go everywhere and draw all those cool things I find. Amazing people, environments, animals, fights…I want to draw it all!"_

_Luffy saw Ayrel's face light up as she talked about her dream. _

_"You know, you're dream is like mine in one way," Luffy said, "We both want the freedom to do something we want to do with all our hearts. I want to be Pirate King and find the One Piece. I want to be strong…Really strong so I can protect my friends. I don't ever want to lose anyone!"_

_"You know…" Ayrel said slowly, "That actually sounds pretty nice…"_

_"So…You two do have something in common after all…"_

_Luffy and Ayrel gasped and looked over at Ace, who looked at the pair with a smile on his face. Ace then explained that he pretended to fall asleep and he heard everything. After dealing with the two angry Devil Fruit users for a while, Ace took a look at Ayrel's drawings and admitted that they were indeed great._

_"You have a talent that you can't abandon," Ace said as he handed the book to Ayrel, whose blush grew darker._

_"But there's no way I can keep drawing while in the Marines…" Ayrel said, "Not unless I became a high-ranking officer…Those guys have a lot of time on their hands. They can do what they want when they want to most of the time…" _

_Luffy stood up suddenly, pulling Ace and Ayrel to their feet with him. They both looked at the younger boy, who was staring at them determinedly. _

_"Ace! Ayrel!" he said, "We're all going down separate paths, right? I'm going to gather a great crew…Ace, you're gonna be a pirate and get your own crew…Ayrel, you're gonna become a Marine. But no matter what, we have to do whatever we can to make sure our dreams stay alive! Even if others try to bring us down and destroy everything, we have to stay true to our goals! Let's make a vow!"_

_Ace and Ayrel, shocked by the wisdom of Luffy's words, watched as the boy stuck his hand out._

_"I __**will**__ become the Pirate King! __**No one will stop me**__!" Luffy said loudly._

_Ace smiled at his brother and placed his hand on top._

_"I __**will**__ become someone that everyone will acknowledge! __**No one will stop me**__!"_

_The boys looked at Ayrel, who stared at their hands hesitantly. She took a deep breath and slowly placed her hand on top._

_"…I…I __**will**__ make a book of drawings of the whole world! ….No one…__**No one will stop me**__!"_

* * *

_"Ayrel, you're going?" Luffy asked._

_"Of course, Lu," Ayrel replied, holding her bags, "Three weeks are up. I'm off to a port in Fuchsia Village. My parents will pick me up there and then I'm off to Nighcurella Marine Base."_

_"We'd see you off," Ace said, "But I don't think the old man will be happy if your folks knew about us…"_

_"No, I would say not…" Ayrel said with a smile._

_She held her bags tightly and started the walk to the village. She wanted to make the trip on her own. Luffy and Ace had said that they were willing to take care of any dangerous animals that try to stop her. But Ayrel said that she had her Spark-Spark Fruit to help her. She made her point by easily shocking a bear that happened to show up. _

_"AYREL!"_

_Ayrel turned at the rubber boy's voice, only to see his sobbing face. Ace had a few tears in his eyes as well but he was trying to hide them. _

_"Don't forget our vow, okay?" Luffy cried, sticking out his fist. _

_Ace stuck out his own fist, rubbing the tears out of his eyes. Ayrel, her own eye becoming wet, stuck out her fist and smiled broadly._

_"I won't forget!" she yelled, "LUFFY! ACE! Let's meet again one day! Out on the open seas!"_

* * *

"Who would've thought," Ayrel said as she thought of the fond memory, "That I wouldn't be able to hold up to my end of that vow until nine years after that, when you saved me…"

"…I wasn't going to let you break your promise so easily," Luffy said, "If being a Marine meant that you couldn't follow your dream, then I was gonna make sure that you became a pirate."

And Ayrel did become a pirate…The Straw Hat Pirates' official log keeper. A girl who could draw to her hearts' content and keep her vow to her two dearest people. Ayrel looked over her shoulder and saw, hiding in the shadows of the main mast, was Ace. He smiled at her, remembering that first meeting, and walked away.

"Now, was there a point to that story?" Luffy asked, "Or were we just taking a trip down memory lane?"

"The point is," Ayrel began, "You and I fought day in and day out while we were together. But once we calmed down and actually talked to one another, we reached an understanding. Maybe if you and Haz could talk for a few minutes, then you guys will also come to an understanding. If not, you two will only breed those ill feelings you have and nothing will ever get resolved. Just think about where you and I would be had we not talked with each other that day in Edge Town…"

Luffy took a look at Ayrel and sighed. Maybe she had a point…Maybe…Luffy stood up and stretched. He looked up at the skies above him and put a hand on his straw hat.

"Alright…" he said softly, "…I guess…I can give it a shot…"

* * *

See? What did I tell you? That flashback did come in handy, right? Now it's time for Luffy and Hazuki to have a heart-to-heart chat. When will that chapter come? …I'm not exactly sure. By the way, this chapter may end up being the last one before my vacation. I'll see if I get one in tomorrow.

I broke my record for longest chapter yet...WHOO!

Please read and review!


	17. Haustella

I have a **poll **up on my account! **Please ****participate**! Here's some things you should know. My current story is Caout's story so that's why she isn't a choice. Tide is someone I'm saving for another time. I don't want to do her story just yet.

TOMORROW I'M LEAVING! I leave on my trip and I won't be back until the end of the month (like I told you already last chapter). Be patient and wait for me all you Straw Hat Legacies fans! I shall give you awesome chapters once I return!

Now that we had two chapters without our main girls, maybe it's time to go back to them, don't you think?

Disclaimer: Drum roll and fanfare please! (Trumpets play and drum rolls) I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE! THANK YOU! (Walks away gloomily)

* * *

"NYSHAIRYN! HOW MUCH LONGER?"

Tide put her head in her hands. Caout hadn't stopped asking that once, even though she had already told her that it would probably take another couple of days before they reached the docks.

"Do you have a shred of patience in you?" Tide asked the girl.

"Sure I do!" Caout said, "I'm really, really, _really_ patient! …Are we there yet?"

Tide rolled her eyes. The two girls continued to walk down the winding road to the docks. Tide hoped that they would get there soon, otherwise her head would explode.

It wasn't that she didn't like Caout. She was annoyed by her when they first met days earlier. But now, even though she seemed as annoying as ever, Tide had to admit that the girl could be good company…She'd be even better company if she would shut up for a few minutes.

Tide looked over her shoulder at the girl, who was skipping like any young schoolgirl would. She looked over the girl's bandages. The blood was starting to seep through; she would have to find some new cloth to wrap up the wounds with. However, it wasn't like she could really rip off her dress anymore than she already had.

The duo then arrived at a fork in the road. The sign had one arrow pointing left, stating that a town, Haustella, was that way. The other arrow pointed right, stating that the docks were another two days away. Tide frowned at the sign. She knew the town that the arrow was pointing to…It was a place she wanted to stay away from.

That place…That town was nothing but hell for her…

As Tide started down the right path, she felt a tug on her arm. She looked back and saw that Caout had stretched out her arm and caught the pink-haired girl's arm. Caout pulled Tide back to the fork in the road.

"Listerra, what are you doing?" Tide asked the girl, "The sign says that the docks are _that_ _way_, so we have to go _that_ _way_."

Caout looked at the sign with a most serious expression.

"But there's a town in that direction," she said, pointing at the path on the left.

"I realize that, Listerra. But our goal is the docks, not a town. Besides, if we go that way then we'll add an extra day of journeying. Didn't you say you wanted to get off this island as soon as possible?"

Caout furrowed her eyebrows and stared at the sign, torn. Yes, she wanted to get off this island very soon. Especially since she knew for a fact that Reo was here. The last thing Caout wanted was to run into a man like him…However…

Caout took a deep breath and went off on the path at left. Tide walked after her, shouting that it was stupid to waste time in that town.

"It's not wasting time!" Caout shouted back at the girl, "You and I are both injured. You did well with those medicinal herbs and those cloths. But the fact remains that we need a _doctor_ to look at our wounds. And we need to change these bandages. Otherwise the wounds will become infected and we can die! I don't know about you but there's no way in hell I'm dying over something so silly!"

Tide stopped and watched the girl marching determinedly down the path to the town. Honestly, that girl was a complete fool most of the time…But then there were moments like these…

"Hold on!" Tide called, running up to Caout, "If we're gonna do this, then follow me! We're gonna sneak around a little…"

"For what?" Caout asked as she trailed after Tide.

"Let's just say I'm not too popular in that town…"

* * *

Meanwhile, inside Haustella at that very moment, the town was extremely busy. Men were carrying large pieces of lumber here and there. People were repairing houses that looked like sticks standing up in the ground. Children were playing in the streets, women were doing some errands. The people were hard at work.

"I can't believe it!" one man grumbled as he patched up the roof of his store, "It's been three months and we're _still_ rebuilding our town!"

"It can't be helped," the man's wife, who was doing some laundry, called up, "The town was ruined! I'm impressed by how far we've gotten. Thank goodness that Marine inspection ship showed up days ago! We were able to tell the captain all about who did this and now he is off to capture that monster."

"I hope he brings her back here alive," the man on the roof said, "All of Haustella is itching for a chance to beat her up! That brat…A creature like her shouldn't exist…Once we're done with her, she'll be wishing she had never been born, that lousy piece of trash!"

"Don't say that, dear…Calling her that would be an insult to trash…She's lower than the devil, she is. That damn girl…Damn all those Elementists to the darkest pits of hell!"

"Nah! Hell is too good for monsters like them!"

Around the town, as people repaired stores and homes, similar sentiments were being said. The man was right. Everyone was dying for the opportunity to torture the girl who leveled their peaceful town. In the middle of the street, two girls were playing jump rope.

One of the ends of the rope was tied to one of the few trees that were still standing. A girl with slightly curly violet hair was twirling the other end while a younger girl with blonde hair jumped. They were quietly singing a song they had made up a few weeks earlier. They both looked around carefully as they sung.

"Mariko!" the blonde girl whispered to the violet haired older girl, "Should we really be singing this? We got in so much trouble last time with Mommy!"

"Calm down, Sunoko!" Mariko said back, "If the adults can't hear us, then we won't get in any trouble! Now keep going."

Sunoko silently nodded and the girls continued to whisper the tune together.

"_Three months ago a girl came to town, to town._

_With long pink hair and a sad frown, a frown._

_Though she didn't smile she seemed nice, until everyone saw her eyes._

_Then we knew a demon came to town._

_That demon with the long pink hair and frown, and frown._

_She went crazy and destroyed the town, the town._

_She blew down homes and burned up trees and brought the townsfolk to their knees._

_Then she went away and we haven't seen her around._

_Three months later we're still rebuilding the town, the town._

_Everyone says Haustella won't go down, go down._

_We lost three hundred people that day, but the five hundred who lived can say._

_We'll kill that demon if she comes back to town!_"

* * *

Caout and Tide quietly snuck to the outskirts of the town known as Haustella. Tide glanced around and didn't see anyone within sight. What she did see was a clothesline with dry laundry hanging off it. That seemed to be a Godsend for her.

"Wait here," she told Caout as she snuck over to the clothesline.

Caout watched as Tide quickly shed her torn dress and replaced it with a knee length white dress with an orange pattern on it. Tide also grabbed a white cap and quickly put it on. Caout tilted her head in confusion as Tide started stuffing as much hair as she could into the cap. By the time she was done, Caout could only see a few strands of her bright pink hair. Caout stared at the cap. There was so much hair stuffed inside but it didn't look lumpy in the slightest.

Tide baffled Caout further by taking a black piece of cloth and tying it around her eyes. What in the world was the girl up to?

"Are you feeling alright, Nyshairyn?" Caout asked when Tide had slowly walked back to her.

"Trust me, this is the only way we're getting in this town without issues," Tide replied, tightening the cloth.

"Won't a girl with her hair stuffed in a cap and a cloth tied around her eyes only _raise_ suspicion, Nyshairyn?"

"Okay, one thing we have to get clear…The second we get into Haustella, you cannot call me Nyshairyn anymore. I'll call you Listerra but you need to call me something completely different from my name. Anything!"

"Okay…" Caout said, weirded out by Tide's really odd behavior, "But what about your eyes and your hair…?"

"Alright, this is the plan…Don't you dare mess up or I will make your life a living nightmare…"

"I already have plenty of people doing that to me…"

* * *

"HALT YOU TWO!" a guard waiting near the path leading into the center of the town yelled, "Who are you and where do you think you're going?"

The guard had seen the pair from further up the road but had said nothing then. He was too confused by what he saw. The girl with the black hair looked normal. The other girl looked normal too…Until one saw that she had no hair that was visible and that she had some black cloth tied around her eyes…A very strange sight indeed.

Caout was holding Tide by the hand and slowly leading her towards the guard. Tide was trying hard to seem as helpless as possible, a feat that wasn't too hard to accomplish when she couldn't see a damn thing…

Though Tide really didn't want to, when she and Caout came to a halt, she clutched the girl's arm tightly.

"Don't worry, it's just a guard," Caout said, still trying to get over the strangeness of this whole thing.

"I asked who you two were and what you were doing," the guard said, though his voice sounded a little softer. After all, these were two little girls…

"Sorry, sir," Caout said, pulling her infamous puppy dog eyes, "I'm Listerra…This is my twin sister, Nysh-I mean, Nyra…"

"_Twin_ sister?" the guard said questioningly.

He couldn't see the other girl's hair or eyes but the black haired girl was much tanner than this one. They didn't look too much alike…

"We're fraternal twins," Caout said with ease, "We have been traveling for a while and we were hoping that we could seek shelter in your town?"

"Where do you two come from?" the guard asked.

"A town called Este," Caout said, remembering what Tide had told her, "It's on the other end of this island. We were hit by a terrible storm. My sister and I were washed far away by this sudden flood. As you can see from our makeshift bandages, we got hurt really bad in that storm. This was the closest town we could find…"

"Uh-huh…" the guard said, "And what is up with this sister of yours?"

"My sister was born with this disorder that makes it nearly impossible to grow hair," Caout said, "And during the storm, she hurt her eyes so she can't see at the moment…"

"Can't your sister speak for herself?"

"Nyra's not allowed to talk to strangers," Caout said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world, "It was a rule our parents gave the last time we saw them."

"And you _are_ allowed to talk, Miss…Listerra, was it?" the guard said.

"Well, if _she_ doesn't talk and _I_ don't talk then how are we going to get anything done? So I told her that I would do the talking for the two of us should we meet any strangers."

The guard looked at the two girls carefully for a few more moments before finally stepping aside and letting them in.

"You should go find the town doctor quickly!" the guard called after the girls, "Those wounds look bad!"

"Will do!" Caout said as she waved at the man.

_Fooled him…_Caout and Tide thought simultaneously.

* * *

How long do you think Caout and Tide can keep this charade up for? Anyways, this is the last chapter for three weeks so please be patient.

Read and review, please! And please do my poll!


	18. Coming Ever Closer

I HAVE RETURNED! (Applause and cheers in the background) Man, you guys have no idea how much I missed being here! As for my vacation…Well, let's just say I won't be going there again anytime soon. Seriously, it rained every other day. There were blackouts every single day (I'm completely serious. They happened every day…). I got bit sixty four times by bugs (I counted during one of the blackout sessions). I got sick three days into the vacation. My cousins kept playing with me too roughly, even though they knew I have a bad leg due to a surgery I had a while ago. I even almost fainted at the airport (Don't ask how that ended up…**way** too embarrassing…).

Sorry…I was ranting…

**SPOILER** **ALERT**! DO NOT READ THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE IF YOU HAVE NOT READ CHAPTER 594 OF ONE PIECE!

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece in the slightest! Man, it feels refreshing typing after three weeks…Yeah; I had to go without a computer for that long too…

* * *

Caout and Tide slowly walked around the devastated town known as Haustella. Well, they had to go slow since Tide was blinded by the cloth on her eyes. Caout glanced this way and that, amazed and appalled by the damage.

"Jeez!" she said, "What the hell happened to this place?"

"Shh! Don't talk so loudly, fool!" Tide hissed, "The people here are very touchy about what happened to their town. Plus, we need to try and avoid drawing attention to ourselves…"

"Nyshairyn, do you not realize how stupid you look? I don't think drawing attention to us can be avoided."

Eventually, after Caout had asked for directions five times, the duo came across what Caout believed to be an abandoned building. It could pass off as one. The only proof that it was still occupied was the soft chatter coming from inside.

It was a small place, no bigger than any of the few remaining houses in Haustella. The glass of the windows was completely blown out. The façade of the building was blackened by ash. Caout coughed at the strong odor of smoke coming from inside.

"I c-can't t-t-tell," Caout wheezed, unable to take the strong stench of smoke, "Is this t-t-the hospital?"

Even though it would be dangerous to do so, Tide lifted the blindfold slightly to take a quick peek at the building before them.

"Yeah, that's the place," she said, noticing the almost completely blackened Red Cross symbol near the top of the building.

"Shut up, Nyshairyn!" Caout yelled as the girl placed the blindfold back over her eyes, "You're not supposed to talk, remember?"

Caout grabbed the Elementist's hand and the two walked through the doorless entrance of the pitiful looking hospital. They were immediately greeted to a distressing sight.

The inside of the building was only one medium-sized room. The walls all had beds against them. Every single bed was occupied by heavily bandaged people. Some of the men were moaning. Some of the ladies were whimpering. There were young children, even younger than Caout and Tide, who were crying out in pain, wanting for their mothers and fathers.

"Man, what a dismal place…" Caout said lowly.

Tide couldn't see anything but she was able to hear the suffering going on around her.

_Three months…_she thought as she bit her lower lip. _Even after three months, it's still this horrible here…_

"Excuse me…May I help you girls?"

Caout turned to see an old man with a worn face and a dirty white coat.

"My God!" he exclaimed as he looked over the two strange girls, "Those wounds look ghastly!"

"Could you help?" Caout asked, "We tried to patch up these wounds ourselves but…"

"Of course!" the man, who Caout figured was the doctor, said, "The problem is where we will put you two…As you can see, we are filled to capacity…"

"DOCTOR!" a lady who looked like a nurse yelled from the other side of the room, "We've got a patient going into cardiac arrest!"

"Damn it! Not another one!" the doctor yelled as he sprinted in that direction.

Caout pulled Tide over to what was left of the front desk, where an elderly woman was going over some papers. She glanced over to where the doctor and two nurses were furiously working on the patient whose heart had stopped.

"Shouldn't there be more nurses and doctors with this many patients?" Caout asked curiously. So far, she had only seen that one doctor and four nurses.

"They are the only ones we have left," the old woman said sorrowfully, "After that disaster three months earlier, we lost nearly all of our medical personnel…"

"What disaster?" Caout asked, not realizing the pressure that Tide was putting on her hand.

The woman looked at the two girls with a weary face.

"Sit down for a few minutes and I'll tell you what happened…" she said, "I'll tell you all about that demon child…"

* * *

Captain Silver was, by all means, perplexed. He and his men had come across the oddest sight…A clearing with burned trees on one end and what looked like slash marks on all the trees.

"What do you suppose happened here, Captain?" one Marine asked the Superior as he looked around.

"Some kind of battle for sure," Silver said under his breath, "Those trees are burned so we can logically conclude that the Elementist girl was part of the battle. But who were the opponents?"

It looked to Silver like there was another terrifying creature on Garuka…

* * *

Speaking of terrifying creatures….

"I can't believe that little brat was able to beat you!" Reo yelled at the demons, who had returned to him after their painful loss, "How is it you demons, who have speed that can put lightning to shame, couldn't handle one eight year old girl?"

"The girl was not alone, Reo," one of the demons hissed.

"The child has an Elementist with her," another added, "A Carrier to be exact…"

Reo's eyes widened slightly at this new information. So the ever elusive runaway had befriended a member of the mongrel race known as Elementists, had she? Reo chuckled, confusing the demons.

"How interesting!" he exclaimed, "A Carrier! It's been decades since I fought one of those! What did this one look like?"

"She looked no older than the Listerra girl," a demon said lowly, "Pink hair, blue eyes, an indifferent expression on her face at all times…"

Reo was disappointed…So this Carrier was only a child? Why was it that ever since he kidnapped Listerra D. Caout he constantly got trapped dealing with mere children?

"Oh well," Reo sighed as he continued to walk on, "Maybe she'll prove to be a decent fighter…"

* * *

At that same time, the Thousand Sunny was sailing onwards toward the very island where all the action was taking place. On her deck, Luffy was pacing back and forth slowly.

Sure, he had told Ayrel that he would go and talk with Hazuki. Saying was one thing but doing was something else…Luffy had no clue how to start a conversation with his daughter. He's always been a man of action…

"Luffy!"

The straw hat wearing captain turned his head upwards to look at Usopp, who was in the crow's nest and looking out to sea with his binoculars.

"What is it, Usopp?" Luffy yelled back.

"Look ahead! It looks like we have trouble coming our way…"

Luffy went towards the bow of the Thousand Sunny to see what his friend was talking about.

He instantly saw it. How could he not? It was gigantic. Sailing towards the pirate vessel was a Marine ship.

_Oh great…Just what I needed…_Luffy thought with a frown.

"Everyone!" he yelled loudly, "Get on deck! We've got a Marine vessel heading right for us!"

The rest of the crew, adults and kids alike, ran onto the deck. They all waited for what would happen next.

* * *

On that very Marine vessel…

"Commander Ora!" a young Marine yelled, "There's a pirate ship sailing right for us!"

Ora walked over to the Marine and looked. His face became pale at the symbol on the flag and sail of the vessel.

"Well, well, well…" Ora said lowly, "It looks like we're about to have a run-in with the Pirate King…"

* * *

Now _**this**_ was a pretty short chapter! My first chapter since I've been back! Okay, I'm most likely going to devote the next two chapters to solely the Straw Hat crew…Maybe I'll do part of the next chapter with Caout and Tide. This chapter was my shortest one yet but its main purpose was just to get everyone up to speed on all of our characters' whereabouts.

**SPOILER ALERT! FINAL WARNING!**

I absolutely loved chapter 594! It is driving me nuts trying to figure out the message of the sixteen chimes of the bell. What could it possibly mean? Well, the Straw Hats (except for Zoro) got it…

On a side note, was anyone else really excited upon seeing that Luffy has a tattoo? I was happy when I saw it on his right arm! I can't wait to see the tattoo in full. I wonder what it reads…

Read and review, please!


	19. Underestimating Kids

I am semi-depressed at this moment…I got yelled at yesterday by my parents and my aunt and uncle. Before I get into the story, here's some information you need to know. I cannot _**stand**_ people touching my feet. It's only because I am very ticklish down there. I'm serious, the second someone touches my feet, I go into a fit of laughter. And absolutely _**everyone**_ I know knows that too. So, what happened was I was lying in bed when my pesky younger cousin started tickling my feet. I kept telling him over and over to stop, that I wouldn't be responsible for anything that happened if he didn't stop. Long story short, he didn't stop and my foot accidently collided with his face…Yeah…

I will now use some subtle messages to convince you to continue writing reviews for this story….

**REVIEW…REVIEW…REVIEW…REVIEW…REVIEW…REVIEW…**

Disclaimer: Not owning One Piece…..Very ticked off about this….Because One Piece is life!

* * *

As the old secretary woman of the hospital finished her story about what happened to the town of Haustella, Caout's breathing had slowed dramatically and her face had a look of pure horror.

"All of us who survived that day," the lady went on, "Swore revenge on that girl. If she ever shows her face in our town again, we will kill her…Without hesitation…"

"…But…" Caout said slowly, "She's only a kid-"

"That is of little importance to us!" the lady snapped, "That demon slaughtered most of our citizens without a shred of mercy! Why on earth should we show restraint to her when she didn't show any to us?"

The lady shook her head slowly and massaged her temples.

"I apologize, girls…" she said wearily, "I snapped at you when you two had nothing to do with that day…It's just…"

The lady sighed deeply. Caout was shocked at the tears that were spilling from the woman's eyes.

"I lost my whole family that day…" the woman continued, "My husband of forty years…My son, my only child…My daughter-in-law…My two grandsons…All of them! In one day!"

Caout remained silent as the woman put her face in her hands. She didn't say a word as she heard the choked sobs that were coming from the trembling woman. Instead, she glanced over her shoulder to look at the "demon" in question.

The patient that the doctor and the nurses had tried so desperately to save earlier had passed away during the course of the woman's story. Tide, who appeared to the doctor to be the more heavily injured of the two girls, took a seat on the now empty bed. The doctor and nurses were off taking care of another patient so Tide was just sitting and looking as innocent as possible.

_Really? _Caout wondered as she looked seriously at the girl she had spent the past few days with. _**Nyshairyn**__ did all that? __**That**__ girl killed all those people and wrecked this place?_

The secretary lady described the Elementist as having long pink hair, cerulean blue eyes and wearing a constant frown. That definitely fit Tide to a T…But Caout still couldn't believe it. Sure, she hadn't known Tide for that long. And she wasn't on Garuka when the people of Haustella were attacked. But Tide didn't seem like someone who would kill people on purpose…She couldn't understand it…

"I'll never forget that monster for as long as I live!" the secretary lady finally yelled, "She was nothing less than a beast!"

At that statement, something nagged at the back of Caout's mind…But what was it…?

* * *

Meanwhile, back on the open waters, just a few more miles away from Garuka, the Thousand Sunny was side by side with a large Marine ship. The crews of both vessels stared each other down. Commander Ora of the Marine vessel stepped forward and yelled to the pirates.

"I am Commander Tyr Ora of this Marine Inspection Ship!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, "Pirate King Monkey D. Luffy! Step forward now!"

While he hated following the orders of some Marine, Luffy did as the man said. The two leaders of their respective ships glared at each other.

"What do you want?" Luffy asked, "We're kind of in a hurry!"

Ora then drew his sword from its scabbard and pointed at the young pirate.

"By order of the Marines," the man shouted, "You and your crew are under arrest for your acts of piracy across the world!"

"Great…" Franky groaned, "This could set us back from getting to Garuka…"

Luffy clenched his teeth. So…This was going to set them back…? Not on his watch!

"Sorry, Marine guy…" Luffy growled darkly, "But I'm not in the mood to be arrested today…"

"I'm sorry to hear that, Pirate King," Ora said in response. He turned to his men, "Men! To arms! Get the cannons ready! Prepare yourselves! This isn't your average pirate crew we're facing here!"

With a resounding "Yes sir!" the other Marines got to work. Luffy turned to his fellow shipmates.

"Looks like they want to give us some trouble," Zoro said with a smirk.

"Then, we'll give some to them as well," Ace added.

"Ace, Zoro, Sanji, Brook and Ayrel!" Luffy said, "You guys come with me! The rest of you, protect this ship!"

"Right!" the Straw Hat Pirates shouted in unison.

"Robin!" Luffy shouted at the woman, "…You know what to do with Haz…"

Robin nodded swiftly and walked over to the young redhead. She grabbed the girl by the arm and proceeded to drag her inside the Thousand Sunny. Hazuki protested as the two went lower and lower.

"C'mon Robin! Let go!" Hazuki yelled as she struggled to no avail against the much stronger woman, "I want to fight too!"

"I'm sorry, Haz," Robin said as she pushed Hazuki into a small room, "But it's your father's orders…"

Hazuki growled as she heard Robin lock the door from the outside. She looked around her surroundings with disgust. The room was built by Franky a couple years after Caout's kidnapping. It was a rather miniscule room, barely big enough for one person. In the corner was a small stool. On the floor was a stack of books. Up high was a single, circular shaped window which was the only source of light for the room besides a small candle that sat next to a box of matches on the floor. Next to that candle was a Baby Den-Den Mushi that could be used only for emergencies.

All in all, it was a dismal and boring place for a kid to be stuck in while a battle was going on. But Hazuki had always been forced to stay in this tiny room during battles for as long as she could remember. It was Luffy's orders…

"Damn it, Papa!" Hazuki yelled, kicking the wall in frustration, "I said I could handle myself now! I'm not a little baby!"

Hazuki knew that while she may not have special powers like the other members of the crew, she could still fight. She knew that she could most likely hold her own in a fight if her father would give her a chance to prove herself.

Hazuki clenched her fists and sighed deeply.

"Alright…If Papa won't give me my chance…I'll have to take it!"

* * *

"FIRE!"

Cannonballs shot out of the Marine cannons and headed for the Straw Hats who were still on the Thousand Sunny.

"Do they really think that will do anything?" Franky said with a bored tone.

He stuck out his left arm and aimed straight at the cannonball coming at him.

"WEAPONS LEFT!" Franky yelled as a cannonball was shot out of his arm.

The ball collided with the enemy's cannonball and the resulting explosion destroyed two nearby cannonballs.

"Mmm…..SUPER!" Franky yelled, "Still could be better but, oh well!"

"Defense!" Robin said as she sprouted one hundred arms in a crisscross fashion. These arms blocked another few cannonballs, which Franky grabbed and threw back at the Marine vessel.

"Treinta Fleur!" Robin said as she sprouted thirty arms to choke several Marines.

Usopp took out his Kabuto and aimed carefully at the Marines who were firing at him. His knees shook slightly out of habit but he stared determinedly.

"SUNFLOWER STAR!" he shouted as he fired five Gunpowder Stars simultaneously.

The resounding explosion knocked out seven Marines. Usopp shouted in triumph.

"Careful, guys!" Nami shouted as she was using her Perfect Clima-Tact to combine a series of Heat Balls and Cool Balls into a large cloud, "We have to make sure none of them get on Sunny!"

Nami turned towards the Marines and delivered one of her most powerful attacks.

"Thunderbolt Tempo!" she yelled as lightning rained down on the Marines. Nami was glad that over the years she had perfected the move so that her friends wouldn't be injured.

Chopper chomped one of his Rumble Balls. He then transformed himself using the Arm Boost. He ran at three Marines who had gotten onboard Sunny.

"Hoofprint Roseo!" Chopper yelled as he punched a Marine in the face, sending him flying into the other two. He then took the three knocked out men and threw them back onto their ship.

"Damn!" a Marine shouted as he and about twenty others soon boarded the pirate ship, "The rumors were true! These guys are fierce!"

"What should we do?" asked another.

"…Aim for those brats of theirs! Those kids can't be strong, they're too young!"

"But…Targeting _children_…"

"I know it seems bad! But anyone who raises the Jolly Roger, adult or child, man or woman, is an enemy and must be dealt with!"

Another Marine looked over and saw Annetoinette facing away from him. He smiled wickedly as he ran at her.

"Die, pirate scum!" he shouted as he raised his sword.

Annetoinette whipped herself around, bow in hand and a bent arrow aimed. The Marine stopped suddenly.

"Spiral Arrow!" she shouted as she fired.

The Marine was confused as the arrow flew right by him. As he walked towards Annetoinette, he saw the arrow come back around the front of him.

"What the hell?" he shouted as the arrow kept going around in a spiral motion around him. It was then he noticed the thin rope attached to the end of the arrow.

"Bind!" Annetoinette yelled as the she pulled the end of the rope she had. The Marine fell to the ground, tied from shoulder to feet.

Annetoinette didn't notice another Marine sneaking up behind her.

"Viente Fleur!"

The Marine found himself being lifted up by twenty arms. He looked over his shoulder to see Anna glaring at him.

"It is impolite to attack a person from behind, coward!" she shouted, "Lancez!"

Anna tossed the Marine with all her might over the side of the ship. She gave Annetoinette a thumbs-up, which the blonde returned.

Several feet from the girls was Kuina, both of her precious fencing swords drawn. She was currently parrying two Marines. Both Marines were wondering how a girl could be holding off their attacks with simple fencing swords. Kuina jumped back a little.

"Ballestra!" she shouted as she did a small jump forward. The Marines, who had expected an attack, got their swords up. This gave Kuina a chance, "Flèche!"

Kuina sprinted past the Marines. Before they could respond, she turned to face their backs and put her swords in an X shape.

"Templar Style…" she said lowly, "Sillonner Slice!"

The next thing the Marines knew, Kuina was now a few feet in front of them. Blood spewed out of the slash marks on their backs and they collapsed to the ground.

Tamaki was even further away, taking on about ten guys at the same time. One Marine was about to plunge his blade into Tamaki's back when Tamaki turned around and put up his right leg.

"As if that will help you, pirate brat!" the Marine yelled with a smirk as he swung the blade at the leg, ready to slice it off.

Tamaki didn't seem fazed in the slightest when the blade made contact with his leg. The Marine was confused, having expected the boy to cry out in pain…having expected blood to shoot out…But most of all, he had expected the leg to be sliced off…

The Marine took his sword back. His jaw dropped and his eyes nearly popped out of his head.

His sword had a gigantic dent in it. He looked over at Tamaki whose pant leg had a tear in it…There was no blood…

"Wha-wha-what are you?" the Marine stuttered, looking at the boy in horror.

"Hey, Tama-chan!" Kuina shouted, "What's the matter? Having trouble…?"

"Awww….What's the matter?" Tamaki asked in return as the Marines started to surround him, "Are you worried about me, Raper?"

Kuina frowned at the boy who just glared at her. As the Marines started to enclose him, Tamaki prepared to take them all out with one move.

"Côtes Crusher!" Tamaki yelled as he jumped up and spun around, kicking the Marines hard in the ribs.

Further along on the deck, Sky found himself surrounded by ten Marines, all of whom had their swords drawn and pointed at him.

"Give up, boy!" one shouted.

Sky glanced around at the Marines and sighed. It was times like this when he wished he had mastered the ability to let attacks pass through him. Oh well…

"Sorry," Sky said as he cracked his knuckles, "I'm not the type to give up just because I'm cornered…Spark-Spark…."

The Marines watched as the ends of Sky's fingers started to emit sparks. They charged to try and stop whatever he was about to do. They were surprised when Sky's fingers shot out like electrically charged snakes.

"Fifty Thousand Volt Taser!" Sky yelled as the fingers made contact with all ten Marines.

The Marines yelled out in pain as they felt the electricity coursing throughout their bodies. When Sky removed his fingers, the group went down in a smoking, slightly burnt, heap. Sky smiled and ran a hand through his hair casually.

"Was that too much?" he asked, "I'm sorry…But you should know better than to misjudge your enemies…Yeah, we're young. I mean, none of us have even hit the double digit ages yet! The oldest of us brats is my sister and she's only nine! Even so, we're still pirates. The blood of infamous criminals courses through our veins. You guys should keep this in mind for future reference…"

Sky turned his back on the Marines, who were groaning in pain.

"Never underestimate kids!"

* * *

Alright! I finally did it! I finally wrote a long fighting scene! Next chapter, I'll do a fighting scene for the remaining Straw Hats who I didn't write one for here.

By the way I'm sure you're all wondering about the kids fighting styles. Well, even though they inherited their parents' abilities, I didn't want the kids' attacks to be _exactly_ like their parents. I wanted them to have _some_ originality and make the powers their own, though they do use several of the attacks their parents use. Here are explanations of the attacks the kids used in this chapter.

**Annetoinette: **Annetoinette doesn't use normal archery as you saw in this chapter. The Spiral Arrow is curved so that when fired, it will return, like a boomerang. The tail end of the arrow is attached to a light but strong rope that ties up the victim as the arrow goes around and around.

**Anna: **Viente is Spanish for twenty. Anna makes twenty arms appear to lift up her opponent. Lancez is how you would say "Throw" as a command. So the Viente Fleur Lancez allows her to lift and toss her opponent.

**Kuina: **As you saw in the chapter, Kuina's fighting style is a combination of sword fighting and fencing that she calls the Templar Style. Ballestra involves a small jump forward. It's faster than a simple advance and can throw an opponent off guard. For Flèche, the rear leg is brought in front of the front leg and the fencer sprints past her opponent. These are both actual fencing moves. The Sillonner Slice I think I explained well enough in the chapter. By the way, sillonner is French for "to criss-cross".

**Tamaki: **Tamaki was trained to use his father's fighting style. But I decided to add a few new moves. The word côtes is French for ribs. Côtes Crusher involves Tamaki launching himself into the air and spinning around with his legs extended. As he spins, he delivers brutal kicks to his opponents' ribs. This is good for when he is surrounded. As for what happened between his right leg and that Marine's sword? That will be explained in another story!

**Sky: **Since the Spark-Spark Fruit is my own invention, I can have a little fun with it! Okay, for the record, while Sky does possess a Logia Fruit, he has a hard time controlling it. One of the things he has a hard time doing is making physical attacks go through him. The Fifty Thousand Volt Taser works as explained in the chapter. Sky turns his fingers into electricity and shoots them out at his opponents. He can change the voltage of the attack so this time he chose fifty thousand. I honestly don't know how much a real-life taser emits.

After reading all this I realized something….I did _**A LOT**_ of research for this!

Anyway, keep reading and reviewing!


	20. A True Pirate

Hey again, readers! I'm sure you all are wondering why I seem to be updating a little slower than normal. Well, remember the whole thing with my cousin that I told you all about last chapter? Well, you see, I ended up getting in trouble for that. But I finally got permission to come back! Whoo!

On a side note, I am a little upset. My regular updaters seem to have stopped updating! Now, I'm not mad because I'm sure some of them have work or school. But still, can I have some more reviewers please? I'll really appreciate it!

Disclaimer: Yeah, I don't own One Piece; I have no ownership of any of Oda's characters or places, blah, blah, blah, blah!

* * *

On the Marine Inspection ship, things were getting really chaotic between the Straw Hat Pirates and the Marines. Of course it was chaotic for the Marines. They were being shown the kind of power that made these pirates the best. And the Straw Hats were making sure not to hold back…

"Aim for the girl!" one Marine said to his comrades, "She must be the weakest of those pirates!"

Three marines then aimed their guns and fired shots at Ayrel, the only female pirate who had boarded the vessel.

"Seriously?" Ayrel said. She sighed and shook her head slowly as the bullets passed right through her, "After all these years, you guys _still_ haven't realized I hold a Logia Fruit?"

Ayrel then growled and ran straight at them. The Marines kept their guns aimed but weren't sure what to do against a Logia Devil Fruit user. Ayrel decided to surprise them by delivering a punishing right hook to one of the men. She then grabbed another and flung him into the other three.

"You know," Ayrel said as she smirked at the guys on the ground, "I don't need to use my powers to beat you guys…"

"Die, you pirate wench!"

Ayrel quickly turned and saw a Marine coming at her from behind, his sword aimed at her chest. Ayrel was about to just stand still and let the blade run right through her when…

Ayrel quickly stepped aside as the man ran past her. He turned around and got in a position to attack again. Ayrel looked carefully at the blade and realized what it was made out of.

"How interesting!" she said as a bit of sweat rolled down her cheek, "That blade's made of Sea Stone, isn't it?"

Not good if Ayrel's guess was right…If Sea Stone was really what that sword was made of then she was at a disadvantage….A slight one but still…

"Got that right, you little bitch," the Marine growled, confirming Ayrel's statement. He charged again at the brunette.

"_Little_?" Ayrel exclaimed angrily as she moved this way and that to dodge the series of blows, "I'll have you know that I'm 5'9! That's pretty tall, damn it!"

The Marine simply chuckled.

"Why are you even on this ship?" the man said smugly as he almost got Ayrel in the stomach, "Why are you even a pirate? This is man's territory, you know? You should just go find a nice peaceful island to live on, get yourself a husband who isn't a world-class criminal, raise some kids and live a quiet life…"

The Marine thrusted his sword towards Ayrel's head. Ayrel, in a move that shocked the man, simply grabbed the blade with her bare hand. The Marine watched as blood was dripping off of the Sea Stone blade. Ayrel growled at the man before her.

Ayrel felt nauseous from touching the Sea Stone but she dealt with it. After all, this guy had just insulted her. If there was one thing Ayrel hated more than anything, it was someone who insulted her being a female fighter.

"…One thing you should get straight, buddy…" Ayrel said, hissing the last word, "I may be a girl, but there is no way I'll ever let some _guy_, especially a chauvinist pig like you, beat me!"

Ayrel drew her arm back. The Marine tried desperately to pry his sword out of her grip. But Ayrel held strong. She quickly punched the man in the face, sending him flying back. She took the blade, which was quickly turning bright red thanks to her blood, and threw it into the ocean.

A group of Marines went to their fallen comrade and turned to glare at Ayrel. What they saw was Ayrel's fist emitting a bunch of sparks.

"VOLT FIST!" Ayrel yelled as she punched. Her fist, which became a large beam of electricity, plowed straight into the Marines.

Ayrel scoffed at the smoldering men who were twitching from the shock of her attack.

Brook was on the other end of the vessel, battling four Marines at once. They were coming at the moving skeleton with all they had, getting angrier and angrier since all Brook did was laugh at the attacks and crack jokes.

"Yohohohoho!" Brook laughed as he dodged one Marine's blade, "I'm laughing so much my lungs hurt! ….Although…I don't have any lungs! SKULL JOKE! YOHOHOHOHO!"

"What's wrong with this weirdo?" a Marine exclaimed, creeped out by the walking-talking bone man.

"Don't ask questions!" another yelled, "Just attack him!"

Brook unsheathed his blade and walked towards the men.

"Three-Pace Hum…" he said lowly.

Next thing the Marines knew, Brook was casually walking behind them and sheathing his sword. The Marines then yelled as blood spurted out of them and they fell to the ground.

"Notch Slash!" Brook finished.

At the same time, Sanji was having an easy time fighting his opponents.

"Collier Shoot!" he shouted as he jumped up and brutally kicked one man in the neck, sending him flying into another three Marines.

"Flanchet Shoot!" he yelled as he hit another Marine in the stomach, "Crap! These guys just keep on coming, don't they?"

The fighting paused long enough for Sanji to take out a cigarette and light it. He blew out a few smoke rings as a few more Marines snuck up behind him.

"Look at that guy!" one hissed to the others, "He's acting so casual!"

"I know!" another said with disgust, "He acts as though we aren't a threat to him!"

None of the Marines would admit it aloud but they all agreed on one thing…Maybe they weren't that much of a threat to this pirate…After all, they knew that this blonde guy was one of the main fighters of the Straw Hat Pirates.

"Hello there."

The Marines gasped at seeing the very man they were talking about looking at them, his hand raised in greeting. They had been so busy talking amongst themselves, they hadn't noticed Sanji walking up to them.

"Attack!" the leader of the small band of Marines yelled as they charged with their swords.

Sanji smirked and ran at the group. He was going to end this with one move. Sanji flipped himself onto his hands as the Marines surrounded him. He then spun himself around quickly and nailed each Marine in the gut. The men grunted from the force of the kicks and fell to the ground, all clutching their stomachs.

Sanji flipped back to his feet and brushed off his suit. He continued to smoke casually.

* * *

Meanwhile, back on the Thousand Sunny, the other Straw Hats were taking care of any Marine who was trying to board their vessel.

"Anna! Annetoinette!" Nami yelled at the two girls, who had just taken care of another foe together, "Can you girls check on Haz for me?"

"Sure thing, Nami!" Anna yelled to the redhead.

The two girls ran inside, ducking Marines who were sent flying by Franky, and went down. They soon arrived at the door to the room that held their best friend. Annetoinette knocked on it.

"Haz!" she said, "Are you okay in there?"

No response. Anna and Annetoinette gave each other a look, figuring that Hazuki was just mad and giving them the silent treatment. Anna then took a try.

"C'mon, Haz!" she yelled, "We know you hate being left out of fights but we can't do anything about it! So, are you doing alright?"

Still no response. Anna put her hands on her hips and groaned in frustration.

"Haz, you'd better answer us!" Annetoinette said as she brushed some of her blonde locks out of her eyes.

No response still…Anna looked at Annetoinette worriedly.

"Annie…Should I…?"

Annetoinette nodded. Anna then concentrated and sprouted an eye inside the room. She used the eye to glance this way and that. All she saw were the books stacked on top of the small stool.

The window, which should have been out of reach, was open…

"SHE'S NOT THERE!" Anna yelled in shock.

"WHAT?" Annetoinette yelled.

* * *

"ONI GIRI!" Zoro yelled, cutting down five Marines.

Zoro noticed that there weren't that many Marines who wanted to go up against him. Maybe because of his extremely scary reputation?

Zoro blocked the attacks of one brave Marine with only one blade. With one slice, he struck down the man. Zoro looked up and saw that there were about seven or eight Marines who were in front of him. Some had their swords drawn and others had their guns aimed at the swordsman's head.

Zoro gave them an evil smirk that sent a shiver of fear down each of their backs...Zoro positioned his blades.

"Three Sword Style…" he said lowly, "Tatsu…Maki!"

The resulting twister took out the Marines easily.

"Well, that was a piece of cake…" he said with a bored voice, "Isn't there anyone here who can face off against me?"

Ace was having an even easier time than Zoro. Apparently, the Marines were terrified at the man's mere presence. After all, not only was this man formerly the second division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, he was also the son of the former Pirate King Gold Roger!

"C'mon, you guys!" Ace said in an amused tone, "At least try to fight me! This is really boring!"

Finally, some Marines relented and charged the man. Ace, knowing how easily he could take them out, decided to take it easy on them…Just a little bit…

Ace lifted his hands and stuck out the index and middle fingers of both hands.

"HIGAN!" he shouted as he proceeded to launch fire bullets at the Marines.

The Marines yelled as they were hit by the attacks and scrambled to avoid the shots. Ace stopped after a minute and chuckled.

"What? Should I have gone even easier on you all…?"

While all this was going on, Luffy was near the front of the ship, well into his fight with Commander Ora. Ora, like Ayrel's opponent, had a sword made of Sea Stone. Luffy, who was already weak against sharp objects, was now doubly in trouble.

But anyone who watched this battle could see that Luffy still had the upper hand.

"Gum-Gum Pistol!" Luffy yelled as he launched his signature move at the Commander.

Ora jumped out of the way just in time. He looked at Luffy with a fierce expression. Blood was dripping down his face from being hit by the same attack earlier.

Ora then ran with amazing speed at the straw hat boy and swung his sword down at him. Luffy just barely managed to escape being cut in half by the super sharp blade.

_He's good…_both leaders admitted hesitantly to themselves. _But I won't lose to that guy!_

Luffy raised his arms and growled at the Marine.

"GUM-GUM GATLING!" he yelled.

* * *

Meanwhile, back on the Thousand Sunny, just outside the locked door where Hazuki was supposed to have been, Annetoinette and Anna were panicking. How on earth were they going to explain Hazuki's sudden disappearance? More importantly, where the hell did that girl go?

Then, the girls heard a distant ringing sound…The sound of a Den-Den Mushi. They went down the hall to the Den-Den Mushi that was sitting on top of a small table. They looked at each other before Annetoinette picked up the receiver.

"Hello?" she said.

"Annie, Anna! What's up?"

Anna and Annetoinette's jaws dropped and their eyes became as large as Frisbees. No way….

"HAZUKI!" the two girls yelled in disbelief.

"Yeah, it's me!" Hazuki's voice said calmly from the other end.

"Where the hell are you?" Annetoinette yelled angrily at her friend, "Do you know how worried we were?"

"Oh, I'm sorry to have worried you guys….I'm on the Marine ship…"

"YOU'RE _**WHERE**_?" Anna and Annetoinette yelled at the same time.

"Haz, don't be an idiot!" Anna yelled desperately, "You have to get back on Sunny right now! You could be killed! You could be found by someone! You could get hurt really badly! You could-"

"I KNOW!" Hazuki yelled, interrupting Anna.

The girls heard their friend sigh deeply.

"I know all that stuff could happen to me…" Hazuki said softly, "But I can't turn back now! Right now….when my family and friends, when my _nakama_, are all fighting….Who am I to just sit back and wait? If I can help in the slightest way possible, then I'll do it! Because a true pirate fights with everything he or she has, no matter how useless he or she is!"

"But, Haz…" Annetoinette said slowly, "What can you do?"

"Yeah," Anna added, "You haven't fought Marines before…"

They heard their friend chuckle softly.

"Don't worry…I've got an idea…"

And with that, Hazuki hung up.

* * *

Okay, I'm figuring that I'm going to be done with this story soon. I'm not sure but at minimum this story will end up having thirty chapters. At most, it will have forty chapters. I don't think It will be as long as forty chapters….

Please keep reading and reviewing! Thank you all!


	21. Fireworks

Hey everyone! How are you today? I'm in a lousy mood. Wanna know why? Yesterday, my cousin brought over her little two year old dog, Sparky. Sparky is a Maltese. I have known that dog since my cousin first bought him when he was a month old. And you want to know what he did yesterday? HE BIT ME! That little dog bit me on the leg! I actually bled a little and now my wound is scabbing over…I can't believe it….So sad….

Anyways, enough about me! Let's get on to the story! This will be the last chapter on the battle between the Straw Hat Pirates and the Marine Inspection Ship. I went one chapter more than what I originally intended. Starting next chapter, we'll go back to Caout and Tide.

Disclaimer: Do I really have to keep saying this…? I do…? Alright…I do not own any creation of Oda's One Piece….There! Happy…?

* * *

Several floors below the deck of the Marine ship, Hazuki was quietly sneaking about. She would freeze in her tracks whenever she heard an explosion coming from above. Hazuki kept thinking over and over how she would give anything not to be noticed by any of the Marines.

Truth be told, Hazuki was actually amazed at how far she had gotten on her own. She smugly thought that if all went well, she would rub this incident in her father's face. So, she couldn't handle herself in a battle? Well, she was going to prove him wrong in a few minutes!

As she wandered hall after hall, Hazuki thought about how she had actually made it on to the Marine vessel without anyone's knowledge…

* * *

_"DAMN IT!" Hazuki yelled from inside her prison cell of a room, "I want to fight too!"_

_Hazuki sat down on the stool, her arms crossed in front of her, and pouted. What she wouldn't give to be able to battle like the others were doing at that very moment…Hell, even Anna was fighting and she was younger than Hazuki! _

_"Oh, that's right…It's because she has '__**special**__**powers'**__…" Hazuki said, mocking her father's words._

_Hazuki growled in frustration and looked up at the window. If only it wasn't so high up! Then, maybe she could get out of this accursed room!_

_The angry redhead looked around her room. A box of matches, a candle, a stack of books, a Den-Den Mushi and the stool she was sitting on…What could she do with all of that? Hazuki then took a closer look…The stool, the books, the Den-Den Mushi, the matches…Maybe there __**was**__ something she could do…Maybe she __**could**__ be of some use in this battle…Maybe she could-_

_"__**AHA**__!" Hazuki exclaimed, getting up from the stool suddenly, "I've got an idea!"_

* * *

_A few minutes of trial and error later, Hazuki put her hands on her hips. The Den-Den Mushi was safely stowed in one pocket; the box of matches was in the other. The stool was positioned just under the window. On top of said stool were the books, stacked from biggest to smallest in a more or less stable pile._

_"Alright, her it goes…" Hazuki muttered as she put her foot on the stool._

_It took her a few moments to get her balance right when she got on top of the books. After all, the pile was swaying slightly under her weight. But the pile eventually stood still. Hazuki looked up and saw that, even with all the books, she was still a couple feet too short. _

_Hazuki furrowed her brow and stared at the window. She realized that there was only one way she was getting up there. She cracked her knuckles and aimed carefully._

_Hazuki jumped and grabbed the edge of the window, holding on as tightly as possible. She kept one hand on the edge while the other pushed the window open. Hazuki then used her upper body strength to pull herself up and got half her body out the window._

_**Thank God I'm such a twig…**__Hazuki thought as she looked at her surroundings. _

_The Marine ship was only a few feet away from the Thousand Sunny. Hazuki saw a net hanging off the side of the ship. She could climb that rope and board the vessel. But here came the hard part…Getting to the ship._

_Hazuki took a deep breath and plunged headfirst into the salty waters. She swam as quickly as she could in the direction of the vessel. Hazuki tentatively brought her head above water. She looked and saw that the Marines were too busy fighting to notice her. Hazuki grabbed hold of the net and started climbing up the side of the ship._

_The redhead kept pausing every now and again as she heard the incredibly loud explosions that were rocking the ship._

_**Franky…**__Hazuki groaned in her head, knowing the source of said explosions…_

_Hazuki quickly but carefully scaled the netting until she came across an open window. She glanced inside and saw that the room was empty. Of course…When the ship was under attack by notorious pirates who would want to stay in their room? So, Hazuki maneuvered herself through the window and landed on a rather comfy bed. She sat there for a few moments before jumping off._

_"Still nothing compared to a hammock…" Hazuki said as she slowly opened the door._

_There was no one in the hallways so she was able to slip out. She quickly made her way through hall after hall, with one goal in mind…_

* * *

Hazuki was wondering how much longer it would be until she got to the place she was searching for…She sneaked down the hallway, past all the rooms, trying hard not to make any noise…This was actually going very well for her.

"C'mon, we have to hurry!" a Marine yelled as he and his comrade burst out of a room, slamming the door in Hazuki's face, "Those pirates are really beating us up there!"

Hazuki waited a few seconds before slowly pushing the door away from her. Her eyes were watering. She touched her nose gingerly, only to see blood on her fingers when she pulled the hand away. She just shook her head and continued down the hall.

"Oh!" Hazuki gasped as she saw that her sight was becoming blurry, "It must be that time again…"

Hazuki reached to her necklace and pulled off her glasses. She was about to put them on when another large explosion rocked the boat. Hazuki stumbled and the glasses fell out of her hands. Hazuki dropped to her knees and felt around the ground, trying to locate her glasses as her vision steadily grew worse and worse.

"Why now of all times…?" she asked as she kept crawling around the hallway.

Suddenly, one of the doors opened and a Marine came rushing out. He had to get on deck before those lousy pirates killed everyone! But, instead, he tripped on Hazuki, who he hadn't seen when he exited the room. The fall made him slam his head into the wall, knocking him out cold.

Hazuki finally found her glasses and put them on. Glad that she could see again, she turned to see the unconscious Marine. Hazuki nervously got to her feet and ran down the hall, hoping no one would suspect a thing…

She finally came across a flight of stairs that led downwards. Hazuki slowly descended the steps, pausing whenever the steps creaked. She tried to hold back her coughs as she went down into the smoke filled room. Hazuki slowly looked around and saw that yes, this was the right place. Over on the other side of the room, oblivious to Hazuki's presence, were three Marines who were firing cannons. The room was loaded with gunpowder and cannonballs.

"We have to go faster!" one man yelled as Hazuki hid behind some large crates.

"That cyborg keeps blasting back all of our cannonballs!" another yelled.

Hazuki squatted down behind the crates of gunpowder. She had to figure out a way to lure those men out of the room. But how?

Once again, fate seemed to provide her an answer as Hazuki saw a rifle sitting beside her. She picked up the weapon and saw that yes, it was loaded. But what was she going to do with it? She wouldn't shoot those men in the back….Not in this lifetime! Then again, she didn't think she had the guts to shoot those guys in the front either. Instead, Hazuki aimed the gun at the doorway leading into the hall.

_Please let this work! _Hazuki thought as she fired several shots into the hall.

It did work as planned. The Marines, thinking that there were pirates in the hallway, all ran out with their swords out. Hazuki ran up the stairs and locked the door behind the men. As the Marines struggled to get back in, Hazuki took out her Den-Den Mushi. It was time to make a call…

* * *

Anna and Annetoinette had beaten the last few Marines off of Sunny when Anna heard the Den-Den Mushi ringing from her pocket. She knew it was a good idea taking the creature with her when she and Annetoinette had run upstairs.

"Haz! Is that you?" Anna asked.

"Yeah! Are you guys okay?"

"The only Marines left are still on their ship!" Annetoinette responded.

"Great….Listen to me, you two! If there's anyone in our crew on the Marine ship, you have to get them off in the next three minutes!"

The girls looked at each other confused. What was Hazuki getting at?

"Trust me on this!" Hazuki continued, "You've got three minutes to get them back onboard. When they get back on the ship, tell Franky to launch a Coup de Burst! We need to make a hasty retreat!"

"What're you gonna do…?" Annetoinette asked nervously.

"…I'm gonna make some fireworks!" the girl responded before hanging up.

"Oh dear…" Anna sighed as she tried to figure out what her friend was planning.

"C'mon, Anna," Annetoinette said, "We've got work to do!"

* * *

The other Straw Hats who were on the Marine vessel were handling their battles easily. Luffy was one punch away from knocking out Commander Ora….permanently.

"EVERYONE!"

The pirates turned back to their ship, to see Annetoinette standing on the railing and calling out to them.

"RETREAT!" she yelled at the top of her lungs, "GET BACK ON SUNNY NOW!"

The rest of the crew was dumbfounded. Retreat? When they obviously had the advantage? But something on Annetoinette's face told them that they better do what she said. Soon all the Straw Hats were back on the Thousand Sunny. The Marines were cheering, thinking that the pirates had suddenly gotten scared.

Anna leaned over the side of the ship as Annetoinette shouted for Franky to ready the Coup de Burst. That's when she saw it. A familiar redhead who was swimming furiously towards the ship. Anna sprouted several arms to grab Hazuki and pulled her onboard.

"Just a few more seconds…" Hazuki gasped as the Thousand Sunny was suddenly launched in the air.

Just then, the Straw Hat Pirates heard it…A loud explosion. They turned to see that the Marine vessel had, for some strange reason, blown up. A few moments later, the Sunny landed back on the ocean. The crew turned to look at Hazuki, who let out an exhilarated laugh.

"It's amazing what you can do with a few matches and a lot of gunpowder…" she said with a chuckle.

Luffy looked at his daughter…She was soaking wet. Her nose was bleeding. She had some minor burn marks on her hands…Hazuki had broken out of the room…She had risked her life on the Marine ship…

"Luffy!" Nami called out to him, "It looks like the Coup de Burst was a big help! We cut down travel by a couple days. I estimate we'll reach Garuka in another day!"

Luffy walked to his daughter, who was wiping her glasses and putting them back on her necklace now that her vision wasn't blurry anymore. Hazuki saw Luffy standing by her and stood up, the two watching each other carefully.

"Hazuki…" Luffy finally said, the first word spoken between them in the past few days.

"I know," Hazuki said seriously, "…We need to talk…"

* * *

Another chapter down! Leave it to Hazuki to use her head to get her out of a mess, huh? Okay, so next chapter it's back to Caout and Tide. I'm still trying to figure out the talk between Luffy and Hazuki. I know what they have to say…It's actually writing it down, wording it, that's giving me problems…

Anyways, please keep reading and reviewing! And thanks for sticking with this story for so long! I appreciate it! Thank you guys!


	22. Your Side

Good day to all my readers! How are all of you today? Anyways, I'm sorry for my absence yesterday. It got really hectic at my place so I didn't get that much time on the computer…Well, I really don't have anything interesting I want to talk about so…Let's get on with the story!

But before that, I just want to take the time to thank everyone for reading my story. It means a lot to me that so many like my story. It's people like you that make me keep writing. So thank you all for your support and I hope that when I eventually bring this story to an end, which may be anywhere between eight and eighteen chapters from now, you guys will be satisfied with the ending. It's an end that hasn't changed since I began…Well, hasn't changed that much…

Disclaimer: **Me****: **I wonder…If I ask politely, do you think I can get ownership of One Piece…? **Caout****: **I don't see why not! **Tide****: **Of course you won't, you moron…Oda wouldn't put his masterpiece in _your_ hands… **Me****: **Gee…Thanks for your frankness, Tide…

* * *

Caout laid back on the hospital bed, staring at the ceiling silently. It was getting dark outside. There was only a very faint glow coming from the setting sun. Caout heard the chirping of crickets. A clock across the room informed her that it was nearly seven.

In the bed next to Caout was Tide. Caout wasn't sure whether or not the Elementist was sleeping or not. Hard to tell, when she was wearing that blindfold. They had a close call earlier when the doctor wanted to examine Tide's eyes. Caout was able to convince the man, God knows how, that Tide's eyes were just sensitive to light at the moment and that the blindfold should just stay on.

Things also got a little hairy when the doctor and nurses asked about the weird black swirls that surrounded Caout and Tide's wounds. Once again, Caout saved the day by telling the adults that the swirls were simply tattoos…That just so happened to be wherever they were hurt…It was a long shot but the medical personnel believed them.

So here they were, a couple hours later, lying in their respective beds and waiting to be discharged. Caout ran her fingers along the gauze that was wrapped around her neck. While she had kept the doctor from removing the bandages on her hand, she couldn't stop him from noticing the poorly healed scar on her neck. After several minutes of questioning the origin of the scar and asking what absolute fool had treated it so horribly, the doctor cleaned it up as best as he could and wrapped it up.

While all these thoughts were swirling in her head, Caout's mind kept coming back to one particular thought…

_I'll never forget that monster for as long as I live! She was nothing less than a beast! _

Caout still couldn't believe it…How in the world could Tide have caused all this destruction and pain? It didn't make any sense! The "monster" that the old secretary lady had described seemed so different than the Tide that Caout had gotten to know over the past few days…

The monster had burned down an entire town. Tide scolded Caout but was nice enough to help her on her journey to the docks. The monster indiscriminately murdered men, women, children and animals…Tide befriended a little puppy and picked her battles carefully…

The monster had killed hundreds…Caout hadn't seen Tide kill anyone in the days she had known the girl.

So it must be a lie, right? Tide couldn't be the beast that the secretary lady had talked about. It must have been some other pink haired, blue eyed, frowning wearing Elementist of fire and air…

But what if it was _Tide_ who was a farce? This girl who was constantly indifferent, who talked about being discriminated against…What if it was all a hoax on her part? What if Tide really was the monster that leveled Haustella? A vicious killer who killed innocent people for no good reason…?

"Agh!" Caout exclaimed softly, putting her hands over her eyes, "I can't figure this out!"

"What were you thinking about?"

Caout jumped a little but turned her head to see that Tide had removed her blindfold and was looking at her, that frown and those half-opened eyes still present…

"You're supposed to be wearing that blindfold, Nyshairyn…" Caout scolded half-heartedly, "And no talking, remember?"

"There's no one around who'll notice…" Tide said loudly enough so that Caout alone could hear, "You didn't answer my question, Listerra…"

"I was thinking about you…" Caout replied honestly, turning her face back towards the ceiling, "I'm sorry to say this, but I'm trying to figure out whether or not you're a good person…"

Tide also turned towards the ceiling. Of course…It was bound to happen eventually the longer Caout spent time with Tide…

Caout didn't trust her…

"This is why I didn't want to come to Haustella," Tide murmured. She wasn't sure if she was directing this at Caout or at herself, "This place holds too many bad memories…"

"So that really _was_ you who attacked this town?" Caout questioned, no clear hint of accusation or hatred in her voice.

"Guilty as charged…"

Tide waited for the explosion that would come. The yelling, the anger, the turning her over to the townsfolk…She waited for Caout to condemn her. Instead…

"Nyshairyn," Caout whispered, waiting for Tide to turn her head to face her, "What's your side of the story? What happened that day, from your point of view?"

Tide couldn't help but prop herself up on her arms so that she could really look at Caout. Caout did the same, patiently waiting for an answer.

"What are you, a detective…?" Tide asked, finding no other words to say.

"Nah…" Caout chuckled, "My friend told me once that there are two sides to every story. Get both sides and then draw your own conclusions. Not everything is as clear-cut as one would like…Such a thinker, that lady…"

"You seem to hold this friend of yours in high esteem…" Tide responded.

"Well," Caout said, trying to act casual, "She was the person who gave me everything when I had nothing...It wasn't just her. It was a group of us. We-Wait! Don't distract me! Tell me your story!"

"…So you really want to know what happened…?" Tide asked, watching Caout nod vigorously.

Tide sighed and took a deep breath. And so the tale began… 

* * *

_Tide stretched as she walked down a beaten path. It had been two days since she had arrived on Garuka. Tide had stowed away in a barrel and gotten herself on a trade ship that was heading to this island. There wasn't anything special about this island as far as she was concerned. Tide just needed to make a hasty retreat from that other island and the ship she got on just happened to be heading to Garuka…It was that simple…_

She figured it was about time that she found herself a place where she could get some food and drink.

Question is, how will I get in without anyone noticing what I am…?_ Tide thought, scratching her head._

Her eyes and the accursed gold band on her arm…Both were clear indicators that she was a mongrel…A demon…What to do?

"Oh well," Tide sighed as the village came in sight, "No time to think up a plan…"

Tide paused slightly as the town fully came into view. It wasn't too big or too small. The buildings, crafted from wood or stone, were of average size and looked rather cozy. The biggest building that Tide could see was the large white one with the Red Cross on it. The hospital…Surrounding the town was a large, dense forest.

People were bustling through the streets. There were plenty of people selling different items from their stands. Women were gathered in little groups, laughing and gossiping. Men formed their own units, gambling, talking with their pals. People were running this way and that, on their way to work. Children were here and there, playing their games of make believe. They looked content.

Tide looked at the entrance to the town. A large, beautifully crafted sign warmly greeted people with the words "Welcome to Haustella! Where All Are Welcome!"

"'Where all are welcome'?" Tide said, "I don't think they mean that…"

Tide slowly walked past the entrance and entered the quaint village. By some miracle, no one seemed to notice her. Normally a girl who looked as she did would draw attention in a snap. But perhaps the townsfolk were too busy with their peaceful lives to notice the strange looking visitor.

Tide passed by carts of apples and oranges, stands selling corn on the cob, a fish market…She was able to snatch some fruit and one ear of corn and she still drew no attention to herself. She saw a small stone well, away from the town itself. Tide realized how parched she was and headed towards the little well.  


* * *

_After several minutes of drinking the cool, refreshing water, Tide sat down in front of the well. She looked down from the hill where the well sat. She gazed at the town below. The streets were crowded of people going about their lives._

"How did I get through all that without raising suspicion?" Tide asked herself.

"Who the hell are you?"

Tide turned her head to see the owner of this rude voice. She looked up at a boy, probably four or five years older than her, who glaring down at her. Tide stood up slowly and brushed some dirt off her dress. The boy seemed to be irritated by her casual nature.

"I said, who are you?" he said with a little more ferocity.

"Shouldn't it be 'I asked, who are you'?" Tide told the boy indifferently. She rolled her eyes as he growled at her.

"Listen, kid!" he yelled, "I've never seen you before so you must be a visitor. So I'll only give you a warning this time. This well is off limits to strangers. Now get away from here!"

Tide didn't move. She crossed her arms in front of her and continued to look at the boy.

"Since when are you the law keeper?" Tide asked him, "Anyways, I don't want to leave just yet so I'll just sit here and take a nap."

"Why you-Who do you think you are? When I tell you to do something, you do it!"

Tide just scoffed and proceeded to sit back down on the grass. Now the boy was getting pissed off. Not that it mattered to Tide.

The boy then roughly grabbed Tide by the arms and hoisted her to her feet. Ticked off by his actions, Tide then stomped on the boy's foot. One would think it wouldn't hurt having an eight year old with no footwear stepping on one's foot…But then again, Tide wasn't like most eight year olds.

"Damn it!" the boy yelled as he let go of Tide to grab his aching foot.

Tide then gave the boy a shove, which sent him rolling down the hill.

"I'LL REMEMBER THIS_!" he yelled as he rolled faster and faster.  
_

* * *

_After taking her peaceful nap, Tide walked down the hill. She was surprised that the boy hadn't gone and got some friends to beat her up while she slept. Actually, she was more surprised that the boy didn't realize what she was. But perhaps that was due to his young age…Or his stupidity…Or both._

As Tide reached the bottom of the hill, she was confronted by a sight that she expected to face back when she first arrived at Haustella.

A huge crowd of pissed villagers…

* * *

I decided to end it there. So, next chapter we'll truly get into what happened that day in Haustella. Sure, I gave you all a decent idea what happened, with that rhyme those kids sung and the little bits of the secretary's story. But now, it's time for the whole story. But that's next chapter.

Please keep reading and reviewing, okay everyone? Thank you!


	23. I Trust You

I had the Haustella incident in mind for a while now. I have always had a general idea of what happened in Haustella since the beginning of the story. But over the past few days I have been able to think up the details of the incident. I hope you enjoy!

You know the funniest thing happened to me a couple days ago. Normally, whenever I want to buy manga, I have to beg my mom for a few days before she'll take me. But the strangest thing happened. A few days ago, I was watching television. It was around midnight. My mom came in my room, without knocking of course, and told me that she would take me to buy manga the next day. I think I was in shock for the next several hours.

I ended up buying nearly seventy dollars worth of graphic novels…I don't think my mom will take me to the store again anytime soon…

Disclaimer: If I owned One Piece, there's no way it would be as popular as it is…My One Piece would probably be ranked at the bottom of the list…

* * *

_Tide stared at the crowd with no discernable expression on her face. To say that the crowd looked ticked off would be the biggest understatement of the year. This crowd looked downright bloodthirsty. One doesn't know terror until one has seen the look of pure hatred on every one of those adults' faces toward the eight year old girl…_

_"Look, it's true," a man in the crowd whispered just loudly enough for Tide to hear him, "That kid really is an Elementist!"_

_"Not only is she an Elementist," an old man said, "Look at her arm! She's one of those blasted Carriers!"_

_"How did we let her get into this village?" a woman asked._

_Tide just frowned at the murmurs that rippled through the crowd. She merely shrugged her shoulders and continued to walk towards them. The crowd flinched in unison and glared at her with revulsion. _

_"W-w-where do you think you're going?" one villager finally asked as Tide drew nearer._

_"I'm heading for the exit," Tide replied simply._

_"Maybe we should let her go," a young woman said, "Then she'll be out of our hair…"_

_"Yeah, right!" a big and brawny guy with a fierce look on his face yelled, "If we just let her go then she'll cause problems for the other villages! She's just a kid! Why don't we kill her and get it over with?"_

_Murmurs of agreement spread through the angry mob. Sure, this Elementist was only a child…But she was still a demon. A cursed beast with the mark of a Carrier. She shouldn't exist. _

_"C'mon," Tide said, "Your sign said that, and I quote, 'all are welcome'."_

_"Did you honestly think that would apply to __**your**__ species, devil girl?" a lady yelled furiously. _

_The remark by the woman seemed to stir the crowd's courage. They all started to yell at Tide._

_"Yeah, devil girl!"_

_"You and your kind are all demons!"_

_"You monsters! You shouldn't exist!"_

_"Mongrel bitch! Go to hell!" _

_Tide just tuned out the exclamations. After all, when one has heard such statements for as long as one can remember, one learns to ignore this stuff…Honestly, how was it people could have so much fear and hatred towards her kind? Elementists were pretty normal as far as Tide was concerned. _

_Knowing that the main path wouldn't work for her escape, Tide ran down a nearby path. If the townsfolk wished to kill her so badly, then first they would have to catch her. She was going to give them quite a run as she went this way and that._

_"After her!" Tide heard someone in the crowd yell._

* * *

_After about an hour of running, and staying far ahead of the pack, Tide used her wind powers to blow herself up onto the roof of a nearby building. Good thing that the roof was flat. Tide just laid back and relaxed while down below she could hear the sounds of the angry mob, furiously searching for the pink haired girl who mysteriously vanished. _

_The crowd decided to split up into factions to search for the Carrier. Tide looked down, keeping just out of sight. She saw townsfolk who weren't part of the search talking amongst themselves._

_"I can't believe it!" a man said to his two friends, "An Elementist in Haustella! What on earth is she doing here? Shouldn't she be on one of those __**other**__ islands?"_

_"You know how __**those **__**people**__ are like," one of the friends replied, "They think they can explore the world and do stuff like the rest of us…"_

_"I can't believe they really think that they have rights like normal people," the second friend added._

_Tide then turned her attention to a couple taking to their children. The children were crying about their parents forcing them to stay inside._

_"But we want to play tag!" the younger child, the girl, complained._

_"You can play tag inside the house," the mother said nervously._

_"Why can't we stay out?" the older child, the boy, asked._

_"Because it's dangerous right now!" the father answered, trying to gently push the kids through the door of their house._

_"But that girl didn't seem so bad…" the girl said._

_The mother picked up her daughter and looked her in the eyes._

_"That girl might look like a normal person," the mother began gently, "But she isn't. She is part of a group known as Elementists. They are very scary and could hurt you."_

_"But you said not to judge people before getting to know them," the boy said._

_"Yes, we said that," the father answered his son, "But that applies for regular people like us. Elementists aren't like us. Remember that…"_

_The kids finally consented and went into the house. Tide scoffed softly._

_**I can't believe it…**__Tide thought. __**They're indoctrinating those little kids with their silly, contradictory beliefs…**_

_Tide's attention then came upon a trio of women who were gasping amongst themselves._

_"Do you really think all those rumors about Elementists are true?" the youngest woman, a lady in her late teens or early twenties, asked the other two._

_"I would believe so," a woman probably in her thirties or forties replied, "They are demons with powers that are so….freakish! I hear that they get their powers by making deals with the devil!"_

_"That wouldn't surprise me," the third woman, an old lady, said, "Apparently Elementists are involved in all sorts of odd demonic rituals. Why do such monsters exist in our world?"_

_"Oh, I wish they would all just die!" the young lady said._

_The three continued to mutter amongst themselves while Tide just shook her head. Man, what a world this was…_

_"There you are, devil girl!"_

_Tide turned and saw that it was the stupid boy from earlier._

_"Oh, hi there," she said calmly, "I'm guessing it was you who let the townsfolk know of my presence?"_

_"OF COURSE, DUMBASS!" the boy said, "I wasn't gonna let you get away with making fun of me! When I saw you on that hill I knew there was something weird about you but I couldn't figure it out. When I went home I remembered…You're part of that mongrel race!"_

_"Give the boy a prize, he's a genius," Tide said sarcastically._

_The boy growled and then charged at Tide. She got up and stood her ground as the boy grabbed her. It would have been easy at that moment for Tide to toss this boy off the roof. But of course she wouldn't do that. The fall would kill him._

_Tide wasn't going to murder someone…Not again…_

_Tide just struggled to push the boy off of her. She didn't want to try too hard. She couldn't lose control of her strength. Unbeknownst to both Tide and the boy, the gold band on Tide's arm was starting to glow in several spots. _

_The boy, without even realizing it, was entering in the code to open the gold band…Completely by chance…Tide glanced at her arm and saw the glowing band. Her heart nearly stopped._

_"CUT IT OUT, MORON!" she yelled, "Let go of the band!"_

_"Shut up, demon child!" he responded, not easing up a bit._

_"Stop!" Tide shouted, her voice starting to show fear and desperation, "You don't know what'll happen!"_

_It was too late then. To Tide's absolute horror, the gold band fell of her arm. Tide stared as sunlight hit the intricate mark that the band had hid…_

_"What the hell is that?" the boy asked, thinking the mark was some ritualistic tattoo or something._

_"…Run…" Tide whispered as she felt that horrible feeling going through her._

_"Don't __**you**__ tell __**me**__ what to-"_

_"RUN!"_

_Then, Tide was swallowed in absolute darkness._

* * *

_Tide groaned softly…Her head was pounding and there was a buzzing in her ears. She was lying down, as far as she knew. But why? What had happened? _

_Feeling something warm on her mouth, Tide slowly brought her hand to her lips. She pulled it back and slowly opened her eyes. Her vision was blurry for several moments. But slowly her eyes came to focus. She stared at what was on her fingers._

_**…Blood…? **__she thought, wondering how it had gotten there._

_Then, she remembered…She remembered every horrifying detail as it rushed back to her…_

_"…No…" she said softly to herself as she struggled to her knees, "Not again…Please not again…"_

_Tide looked around and saw that yes, it had happened again…The nice houses she had seen when she arrived…They were all burned to ash. The gigantic forest that she had admired…Only a couple trees remained. All around her, littered on the ground, were knives and guns and bullets._

_The pain came to her suddenly. Tide looked at her body and saw that she had a few scratches and cuts on her. There were a couple of bullet holes in her. _

_Tide looked up and saw, to her horror, were bodies. All over the place, covering the ground all around her, were bodies. Bodies of men, bodies of women…bodies of children, of animals…Some were burned beyond recognition. Others had marks that Tide knew came from her wind attacks. Others had slash marks and injuries so horrifying that she knew that she hadn't used her fire or air on those people._

_"Damn it!" she said, hitting her head, "Damn it! Damn it! DAMN IT! How could I let this happen?"_

_Tide heard, in the distance, the sounds of people. So she hadn't killed everyone in Haustella…Tide had to get out…Now…_

_She got to her feet and ran. She ran and ran and ran…_

_Cause in the end, no matter where she went, that was all she **could **do…_

* * *

Tide finished her story and waited to hear what Caout had to say. She turned and saw Caout staring at her with a curious expression. Tide couldn't figure out what the girl was thinking.

"So…" Caout finally said, "You have no idea what happened between the time your gold band came off and you woke up?"

"Oh, I know," Tide replied, "I remembered after I woke up…But I don't want to tell you that part…It's too…It's really bad, okay?"

Caout nodded softly. She was still digesting the story. After all, the secretary lady hadn't mentioned Tide being chased and stuff. Tide sighed.

"I get it, Listerra. You don't believe me," she said, "I'm a Carrier so you have no reason to believe me. You can do what you want. If you want to leave for the docks on your own, be my guest. You want to turn me over, you can try. You want to beat me up, I'll let you."

Caout just laid back on the bed and closed her eyes.

"Don't worry, Nyshairyn…I believe you…Good night!"

Tide sat up and stared at the girl. "Good night"? That was all she had to say?

"Wait, you don't have anything else to add?" Tide asked her.

Caout sat up and looked at the girl, as if puzzled that she wanted her to say something more.

"I really have nothing else to say, Nyshairyn," Caout said truthfully, "I believe that's what you said happened and that's all. So tomorrow, we'll leave this place and head down to the docks. I can't believe those jerks said all that about you…And they seemed so nice!"

"_How can you believe me_?" Tide asked, trying to keep her voice low enough so that it wouldn't wake up the other patients or the medical staff, "How can you still want to go to the docks with me? You know I murdered a bunch of people! I'm an Elementist, for God's sake! And a Carrier on top of that! How can you still act so normally around me?"

"Easy," Caout said, "I trust you."

"Wha-?"

"I told you a few days ago, didn't I? I told you as of that day forward we were partners. And as my partner, I trust you. I don't care what you are, what you look like and I have no concern about what you did in the past. Right now, in this moment, we're partners. And partners have faith in each other. Alright, Nyshairyn?"

Tide just stared at Caout, utterly speechless.

"Well, good night, Nyshairyn!" Caout said cheerfully as she laid down.

Tide continued to look at Caout for several more minutes. This girl…Tide sighed deeply and laid down on the bed. She stared at the ceiling for a few more seconds before closing her eyes…

"…Good night, Listerra…"

* * *

I liked this chapter, I really did. I originally planned on putting in what Tide did when she killed those people. But a) it was too graphic and b) I decided to keep it secret for another story...But yeah, this chapter I like because now we have affirmed Caout and Tide's relationship as partners. We're getting closer and closer to our climax. Having looked at this, I think I may end up going up to or near forty chapters for this story…

Keep reading and **please**, **please**, **please review**!


	24. Our Nightmares

I am dreading the day my school starts up again…It's not that I don't do well in school. It's just that I don't really enjoy…at all…The only part of my particular school that I like is all of the interesting students and teachers (well, the ones that I know…). My school isn't really the best. I'll give it this; it has an amazing music program! And I mean amazing. It's a fact that over have of the student body of my school is involved in some sort of performing music. Over half! We're actually pretty well known because of our parade appearances…

Disclaimer: I claim no ownership of any creation of Eiichiro Oda…I do claim ownership of any creation of my own…

* * *

Captain Silver and his small group of Marine soldiers were still on the hunt for the Elementist known as Nyshairyn Tide and her possible hostage. They were almost through with the forest. They probably would be out by sometime in the middle of the night. Silver looked around his surroundings. It all seemed very familiar to him…But why…?

"Captain, are you alright?" Lieutenant Kushiro asked his superior.

"Of course," Silver answered after a moment, "Why wouldn't I be?"

"It's just…You seem to have something on your mind, sir."

Silver turned his head back to the front. He did have something on his mind. Why was this area looking so familiar? Where had he seen it before? As he and his small band kept walking forward in the dark forest, it came to him suddenly. Of course…This path…It led to that town! Why hadn't he seen it earlier?

"Damn it…" Silver said aloud, "That Carrier girl is probably heading towards Haustella…"

Kushiro and the other Marines looked at their captain, horrified by this realization.

"Haustella!" one marine yelled, "But why would she be going there? Didn't she already do enough damage to that poor town?"

"This is an Elementist we're talking about!" another said in response, "Who knows what she's thinking…?"

"Captain Silver…" Kushiro said, "Do you think that maybe the mongrel is heading there to kill the survivors of the massacre from three months ago?"

Silver frowned deeply. Yes…That was probably what the demon girl was planning…Which means…

"Men! Double time!" Silver shouted, "We have to get to Haustella as quickly as possible! That brat is probably already there and who knows how much damage she has done to that place?"

"Yes sir!" the soldiers answered as they quickly followed their captain.

Who knows what nightmare awaited them at the end of the path…?

* * *

Meanwhile, a bit further into the forest and moving at his own pace, Reo was walking. He wasn't sure where he was heading but he figured that wherever the path ended was where he would find Listerra D. Caout and her new Carrier friend.

"This is becoming a boring expedition…" Reo said, "When I find that girl I must give her a _stern_ talking to…She could have at least _attempted_ to make this hunting challenge fun for me…"

Inside his cloak, the demons laughed sinisterly. A wicked smile came across Reo's face. As Reo kept walking, he heard an all too familiar noise coming from inside his cloak. He reached in and took out the ringing Den-Den Mushi and looked at it with an annoyed expression. With a deep sigh he opened the creature.

"Reo!" the deep voice of the Master said, "What is taking you so long? Do you realize how many freakin' days it's been?"

"Don't worry, Master," Reo said calmly, "I have almost caught up with Miss Caout…I'll run into her shortly…"

"You're telling me in all this time you haven't even _**seen**_ the girl?" Master yelled furiously, "Damn it, Reo! Are you even _trying_ to do your job?"

"I assure you, Master," Reo continued in a cool voice, "I am doing my job. While I personally have not made contact with the girl, my _little_ _friends_ have…The girl is still alive and currently traveling on the island of Garuka with a young female Carrier."

"Gah!" Master exclaimed with disgust, "What a bloody mess this has turned out to be!"

"Master, you need not worry. When I run into those two, which will most likely be sometime tomorrow, I will dispose of the mongrel girl and catch Caout without fail…"

"You had better do that, Reo! That damn brat has too much knowledge about us! Plus, we still could use her…But let me make this clear. You may hurt Caout. You can do whatever you like to her. You can beat her within an inch of her life…But she had better come back _**alive**_…"

"I will make certain that she does, Master," Reo said with a small laugh.

"Good," Master replied, "Let me also be clear on another matter…If the girl escapes you…You do realize what punishment awaits you…Reo…"

Reo's face turned whiter than snow and a small spark of fear flashed in his eyes as the Master hung up. Yes…He knew for a fact what would happen to him if he failed to catch that damn Listerra D. Caout…And he was going to avoid that fate at all costs.

Reo put the Den-Den Mushi back in his cloak and continued walking.

"I will get you, Caout. I'll return you to Mizure...even if I have to become your worst nightmare to do so."

* * *

Meanwhile, back at Haustella at that very moment, Caout sat up suddenly on her bed. She was drenched with sweat and her breathing was labored. Her whole body was shivering. She looked around as her breathing slowly returned to normal. She put a hand to her forehead.

"J-j-j-just a bad d-d-d-dream…" she stuttered softly once she had found her voice, "That's a-a-all that w-w-was…"

A bad dream? More like a horrifying nightmare…

It wasn't like she hadn't had that nightmare before…Back when _**that**_ happened, she had seen the nightmare every night for three months straight. The last night she dreamt it was the night before she had left Mizure. This was her first time seeing that nightmare since that day.

Back during the first few nights she had it, she woke up screaming. They would rush in and tell her to shut up and do anything to stop her from making such terrifying cries. After they left, she refused to go back to sleep. She would lay there, eyes wide open and flinching at every little noise. She would stay that way until the sun rose over the horizon. The second she saw that light, that glow that saved her from the endless darkness, that was when she would go back to sleep…

"Why now?" Caout wondered aloud, "Why would I have dreamt that now of all times?"

Suddenly, Caout remembered what had happened in the forest…

_…Reo…_Caout thought as horror swept over her.

Reo was somewhere on Garuka. And he was getting closer and closer to where Caout and Tide were. Caout wished she had some idea as to where on the island Reo was at that moment.

"No wonder I'm having that nightmare again…" Caout whispered to herself. She sighed and clenched her fist, "I won't go back to Mizure…I don't care if it _is_ Reo…He won't make me go back to that life."

Caout laid back down on the bed and looked at the cowboy hat that was just sitting on the pillow, right next to her head. She picked it up and examined it. This hat…It had been with her since before she came to Mizure…It was the only thing tying her to a life outside of that place. Possibly a better life than the one she had endured for the past eight years…But that was only a possibility…

"Geez…What a hell my life has turned out to be…" Caout moaned.

She glanced to where the clock was. It was midnight. It was pitch black outside. Caout clutched the hat to her chest and kept staring out the window…

She waited for the sunrise to come…

* * *

Outside the hospital, the old doctor was smoking his cigarette and staring up at the night sky. It was a clear night, so all the stars and the moon were visible. As a doctor, he should know better than to smoke. He knew all about the negative effects smoking had on the body…When he was a younger man he smoked a lot, but quit after he became a doctor. After the Haustella massacre, he took up smoking again…He didn't know why…He just did.

"Damn…What a day this has been…" the old man murmured to himself.

He had lost two patients, both of whom were badly injured. Their injuries were just as bad as they had been three months earlier. Haustella didn't have the means to treat so many people at one time…Especially since most supplies were destroyed by the demon girl.

Inside the hospital, the doctor listened with a heavy heart to the patients who were still in so much pain, even though all this time had passed.

"Agh!" he heard one man scream suddenly, "It's too much! The pain burns! Please kill me now! I beg you…JUST KILL ME!"

That man…He lost his house, his parents…But worst of all, he lost the woman whom he had proposed marriage to only two days before the incident.

The doctor heard a young woman's painful labored breaths. That poor lady's story was tragic…

"Kenji…My baby…" she whispered painfully in her sleep.

The woman had lost her husband, Kenji, during the massacre. He had been nearly torn in half by the Carrier…The woman, who was eight months pregnant, had suffered extreme burns to most of her body. She had also suffered a terrible injury to her stomach, an injury that cost her unborn child's life…

The doctor smoked silently as he heard his four nurses rushing to attend to the patients. He heard one of his younger patients cry.

"Mommy! Daddy!" the boy, who was no older than five or six, sobbed. "I want my parents!"

No one had yet thought of a way to break the news to the boy. That he alone was the sole survivor from the fire that burned his house, and his parents, to ashes…

An older girl, a child of eight, was sniffling. One of the nurses was trying to comfort her. The child wasn't a patient…She was a visitor. The girl was kneeling next to a bed which held the comatose body of her father. In the beds next to the man were the badly injured bodies of the girl's mother, two brothers and sister. The girl alone had escaped injury just because she was playing by the river. When the fire swept through the forest, she simply dove into the water and escaped harm.

"It's alright sweetheart," the nurse whispered softly to the girl.

"When will they wake up?" the girl choked out, "They won't die, right?"

"…We're doing all we can, honey…" the nurse replied, trying to hide her uncertainty.

The doctor gave out a deep, weary sigh…Nightmare after nightmare…

How easily one day had ruined so many lives...

* * *

Alright I did it! Another chapter out! Okay, I think that the next chapter will be the talk between Luffy and Hazuki. I think that talk is long overdue…So that's where we'll go next. After that, then we can get into the final act of the story! Finally battles! And all that other stuff! Whoo! This is really getting exciting.

As always, my only request is that you all keep reading this story and reviewing! Seriously, I do read every review I get! It encourages me to keep going! So please review!


	25. Just Existing

Okay, there is one thing I would like to make clear before we get on with this chapter. Throughout this entire story, I have hinted at several different mysteries. The biggest mystery here would be Caout's past. What did she mean when she said she was a tool? What is Mizure's horrible secret? Who is this friend she keeps quoting? And who is this Master? Another secret is Tide's own past. The only bits of information she revealed about her past is that she is an orphan and that the Haustella massacre was her doing. But other than that we really don't know anything about her. A third, easily missed mystery was mentioned back in chapter 3. Ace briefly mentioned being forced to leave a certain place and cut himself off before he mentioned what he left behind. What was he talking about?

Just to be clear, none of these mysteries are going to be solved in this story. The answers to these mysteries will be their own separate stories that will come out in time. So for those of you awaiting the answers…Please stay tuned…

Disclaimer: I have not, do not and will not ever own the beautiful masterpiece that is One Piece.

* * *

It was two or three in the morning. No kid should be up at such an hour, correct? Maybe a teenager would be awake at this time…Those who worked at night would surely be awake…But not a kid. Definitely not a seven year old girl…

But of course, Hazuki was up at this late hour. She had woken suddenly at around one in the morning. Why? Who knows…? All that mattered was the fact that Hazuki was up at a time she would usually be sleeping. She stayed in her hammock, staring at the ceiling, for a while. At least an hour.

Hazuki had a lot of thoughts on her mind right now. One of the main ones being the upcoming talk with her father. They both knew they needed to talk. Alone, just the two of them…But Luffy had decided to wait until the next day. His only reason was that everyone, Hazuki especially, was tired and needed rest after fighting with all those Marines. Hazuki reluctantly consented to Luffy's request that she go to sleep.

But there she was, lying there awake. Because she _**knew**_…It couldn't wait any longer. They couldn't keep postponing it. So that's why she was out roaming the Thousand Sunny at this hour wearing nothing but a tank top and some shorts. Not because she couldn't sleep. But because she wouldn't until she and her father talked…Right at that moment…No more delay.

After narrowly avoiding waking up her roommates, Hazuki ventured out onto the deck of the ship. The cool sea breeze woke her up a little. She glanced around. It was dark but she could tell that the sky was very slowly starting to lighten up. The sun wasn't over the horizon, it was still too early. Hazuki walked, rubbing her arms. She headed towards the lion figurehead of the Thousand Sunny.

It was Luffy's turn to keep watch at night. That's why he was out on deck. He sat cross legged on top of the lion head and stared out at the horizon. His straw hat hung from his neck by the string. The wind played with his jet black hair. Luffy kept staring, a serious expression on his face, when he heard the faint sound of bare feet walking towards him. Luffy turned his head around to notice Hazuki looking up at him with a determined look.

"Haz," he said quietly, "What are you doing here? It's late."

"I know, Papa…" Hazuki replied, "But we have to talk."

"I said that we'd do it-"

"No, Papa. No more waiting…Now. We're talking right now."

With one look at her face Luffy could tell there was no changing his daughter's mind. He sighed softly and got off the figurehead of the ship. He and Hazuki walked toward the stairs that led down to grassy lawn of the ship and took a seat on the steps. They both clasped their hands together, waiting for the other to start the conversation.

"Hazuki," Luffy finally said after a few minutes, "You _do_ realize that all I want is for you to be safe, right?"

"Well," Luffy continued when Hazuki nodded, "Keeping you in that room, locked away during battles…It's all because I want to protect you. I want to make sure nothing happens to you."

"I get it, Papa," Hazuki said, "I know that, while I still believe you treat me like a baby, you only want to keep me safe from harm. I realize that and I respect that."

Luffy looked down at his daughter, who was just staring at the ground.

"What did you want to prove earlier?" he asked, "You were soaking wet. You were bloody. You could have been killed. Anna and Annetoinette told me everything that I didn't already figure out after seeing you on deck today."

Hazuki grimaced. Darn those two…They were supposed to be her best friends and they went and tattled on her.

"I know what you're thinking, Haz," Luffy said as he put a hand on her shoulder, "Don't you _dare_ be mad at the girls for telling me about your actions on the Marine ship. I was the one who pestered them into revealing it."

"I'm just ticked you know the whole story," Hazuki said, remembering how she told her friends every detail as she was drying off from her swim, "I originally had all intention of telling you about it but then I knew you would yell at me and punish me no matter what I said."

"Haz, you can't blame me for being upset. My daughter, the daughter I swore I would protect no matter what, went off, disobeyed by orders and got herself into a situation which could have ended badly!"

Hazuki gave a sarcastic laugh.

"Listen to yourself, Papa…Protect _**me**_? What a laugh."

Luffy furrowed his brow and frowned at the redhead. What was she talking about? Hazuki looked up at her father…More like glared. Luffy was taken aback by the intense gaze that he never would have expected out of the girl.

"All these years. Locking me away whenever troubled reared its ugly head, keeping me only a few feet away from you at all times, not letting me explore or experience new places or people. For the longest time I agreed with you. I always thought that yeah, he's only doing this to keep me out of trouble. He's only doing what any normal overprotective dad would do…But that's not the truth."

"What do you mean?" Luffy exclaimed, "Of course it's the truth!"

"Papa…Tell me why you baby me so much…"

Luffy looked at his daughter's face, puzzled. Didn't she already know? He was certain that he had told her…

"Well," he began anyway, "I do it to keep you safe. I couldn't stand it if something bad happened to you. I-"

"Freeze!" Hazuki interrupted, "Now say that last sentence again."

"I couldn't stand it if something bad happened to you…" Luffy said slowly.

"Again."

"I couldn't stand it if something bad-"

"Again."

"I couldn't stand it-"

"Again!"

"I couldn't stand-"

"_**Again**_!"

"I-"

"There!" Hazuki exclaimed, standing up suddenly, "Do you get it now? Do you understand?"

Luffy shook his head slowly as he looked at Hazuki's eyes.

"Hazuki, if there was a point to all that-"

"'_**I**_ couldn't stand it if something bad happened to you,'" Hazuki said, repeating her father's words, "'_**I**_ couldn't stand it'! Do you get my point now? It's about _you_, Papa! You, you, YOU!"

Hazuki crossed her arms in front of her and marched back up the steps. She went to the side of the ship and stared at the waters wordlessly. She didn't make any noise or movement when she heard the footsteps come from behind her a few minutes later. Luffy took a place right next to her and stared at the ocean as well.

"Do you need more of an explanation?" Hazuki asked bitterly.

"Haz, I don't understand what you were saying back there," Luffy replied, "What did you mean that it was about me?"

"Papa…You may not realize it but it wasn't me you were protecting all these years…You were just trying to protect _yourself_."

Luffy's eyes widened and he snapped his head towards the girl, who refused to meet his gaze.

"Protect myself?" he repeated, flabbergasted, "What are you-?"

"Think about it, Papa. Caout, your only child at that time, was the light of your life. Your pride and joy. And what happens to her? She's stolen…Right under your nose…You beat yourself up because you feel that you failed to protect her. And then what happens next? You find out Mama is pregnant with me…"

Hazuki turned her body away from the ocean. She leaned against the railing of the ship. Luffy just watched her silently.

"You make yourself a promise," she continued, "You swear that you will never let anything happen to this new child. Even if it means turning that child into more or less of a shut-in. Nothing was gonna happen to this second daughter…Because _**you**_ wouldn't be able to handle the pain…If another daughter was lost before your eyes, like Caout was, you wouldn't be able to bear that pain. It would've driven you mad. You might have even killed yourself to end your suffering."

"The reason you insisted on babying me for all my life was to spare yourself of ever having to endure the kind of pain you felt when Caout was kidnapped…That's all. That's my point."

Luffy watched as Hazuki took a deep breath before she went on.

"In the end, no matter how you look at it, this story is about you and Caout…" she whispered with a strange voice. What was that tone? Luffy couldn't understand it, "I don't know how I became entangled in this tale. I'm just the girl who was born by chance. I'm only a minor character in this tale…You…Papa…and Caout are the main characters."

Luffy looked at Hazuki's face with horror. Her lower lip was quivering. Her eyes were becoming wet. She turned to look up at Luffy's face with an expression that could tear at one's heart.

"Tell me, Papa!" she said desperately as the tears spilled over, "What's my purpose in all this? Nothing, that's what! I am your daughter…But there's no point in my existence. I know that no matter how you and Mama act towards me, your thoughts are only towards Caout, your first born daughter. _She's_ the only person who's on both of your minds! And I'm scared about what will happen when you find her. I don't hate her…And I'll be happy if you find her safe and sound. But I'm scared that I'll become even more of a wallflower when she reenters our lives! I just exist. No reason, no purpose…_**I**_ _**just**_ _**exist**_…And I hate that! I want…I want to be someone strong and brave like you! Someone really smart and pretty like Mama! I want to be someone who can be noticed! …But I'm not. I'm only Hazuki. A kid who just exists."

Finally noticing the tears streaming down her cheeks, Hazuki furiously started to wipe them away. What was she doing, crying like some baby? This was so stupid! She had just run off at the mouth.

"S-s-sorry," Hazuki said, angry at how her voice broke, "J-just ignore what I said…I was being an idiot…"

Hazuki rubbed her eyes harder when the tears just wouldn't go away. Suddenly, she felt the sensation of two hands grabbing her under the arms. She took her hands away from her face as she was lifted easily. Then, her body crashed against Luffy's in an airtight embrace. Hazuki was still, her eyes wide and her limbs all limp as Luffy tightened his grip on her. To keep herself from slipping, Hazuki wrapped her arms around her father's neck and her legs gripped the sides of his body as well. She realized, with absolute shock, that Luffy was shaking.

"I'm sorry…" his voice finally said. It was quiet but serious, "You don't have to forgive me…But I really am sorry…"

Hazuki pulled her face away from Luffy's shoulder to look at his own face. He wore a soft smile but his expression was still sad.

"I'm quite a failure, aren't I?" he said with a small laugh, "Not only didn't I stop Caout from being kidnapped…I wasn't any bit a father to you, Haz…All these years, my concern was looking for Caout…Finding her, saving her, seeing her one more time…But I never even stopped to think for one second about you."

Hazuki had a neutral expression as she listened to her father. He sighed briefly.

"I don't know why I was ever given kids," he continued, "I'm given two absolutely amazing girls…And I can't care for either of them correctly…"

Luffy's smile vanished and he looked and Hazuki's tear filled eyes.

"Hazuki," he said firmly, "No matter what you may think, I never thought of you as just existing. You are my daughter just as much as Caout. I feel the same way about you both."

"Yeah, right," Hazuki scoffed, "We're probably nothing alike…Caout's probably like the sun. Always shining and lighting up everyone…"

"Then you're the moon," Luffy replied, "Glowing beautifully and taking away the darkness."

Luffy tightened his grip on the girl.

"Hazuki, I never told you how much you mean to me, did I?" Luffy asked, "I never once told you how you are like in my eyes…"

Hazuki slowly shook her head. No, she hadn't ever heard anything like that from her father. Luffy never broke contact with her eyes.

"I don't think you're pretty at all," he began, "I think you are nothing less than beautiful. As for brains, you proved to me that you have plenty of them. You showed me back on Serafus and with that Marine vessel that you could think up smart plans at the snap of a finger. You have plenty of bravery. I mean what seven year old goes up against a bunch of hooligans? What little girl sneaks onto an enemy ship like you did? I was worried when you did that but I never told you that I was proud of you!"

"Proud?" Hazuki repeated, a little confused.

"Of course! I was horrified by how reckless you were. I was so worried about you that I could barely breathe! But, looking back, I'm really proud. Because you showed me that you are an amazing pirate. You don't need Devil Fruit powers or weapons. You're a warrior all on your own."

Hazuki turned her face away from Luffy because she didn't want him to see the blush that was creeping across her face. He was proud of her? Really? Were all the words he said true? Luffy then grinned widely and tightened his hold. Hazuki looked at her father.

"Hazuki…I love you…"

Hazuki stared at her father in shock, barely comprehending that those words came from his mouth.

"I don't even remember the last time I told you I loved you," Luffy said, "How pathetic can I be? I really am a horrible dad, aren't I? But I mean it, Haz…No matter how I act towards you, no matter how much of a terrible parent I was…I really love you."

That was all…As another round of tears burst from her eyes, Hazuki wrapped her arms around Luffy and squeezed him as if he may disappear from her grasp. Luffy hugged his daughter back.

"So, you love me?" Hazuki gasped out as she held onto Luffy, "I don't just exist?"

"Yup," Luffy responded, "You don't just exist…You live…You're a shining light, Haz."

It was odd…Luffy felt something inside him change. He felt so…different for lack of a better word.

The two stayed on deck for who knows how long…

* * *

It was around eight when the rest of the crew had woken up. Everyone was on deck, stretching and breathing in the morning air.

"Hey, did anyone see Haz?" Kuina asked, "She wasn't in her hammock."

"Come to think of it, Luffy wasn't in the room either," Ace yawned.

The crew stood puzzled on the grassy lawn. Now where could those two be?

"HEY! EVERYBODY! GOOD MORNING!"

The Straw Hat Pirates all snapped their heads up. There, sitting on the yard arm of the main mast, gazing at their nakama, were Luffy and Hazuki. They were sitting side by side and, much to everyone's shock, they looked perfectly happy.

"H-How long have you two been up there?" Ayrel asked with a laugh.

Luffy and Hazuki looked at each other.

"Six or seven hours…maybe?" Luffy estimated.

The crew decided not to question it.

"And don't worry!" Hazuki called down, "Papa and I, we're cool now!"

Everyone inconspicuously let out sighs of relief. Thank God…So that was now behind them.

"Alright everyone!" Luffy yelled, "Time to get on with our first order of business!"

"We know, we know," Zoro said, "Head straight towards Garuka."

Luffy tilted his head as he looked down.

"Well yeah, that's really important," he said, "But while we do that, there's something else that needs doing."

Everyone looked confused as Luffy coughed a little. What was the guy getting at? They all watched as Luffy smiled down at them.

"SANJI!" the straw hat wearing captain yelled at the top of his lungs, "I'M HUNGRY! MAKE BREAKFAST!"

To say that shock feel over the crew was an understatement. They had no idea what the hell was going on.

Then, smiles crept up on all their faces. They started chuckling.

"C'mon, Sanji! Get to it!" Luffy called down, "I'm starving! I haven't eaten in days!"

With a small shake of his head, Sanji started heading towards the kitchen. Nami, small tears of joy spilling down her cheeks, watched as the cook went off.

"What's the matter, Sanji?" she asked, "No complaints?"

"Why would I complain?" he responded with a chuckle, lighting up a cigarette, "I've been waiting to hear those damn words for the past eight years…"

Hazuki smiled at her father, who smiled back. Slowly, little by little, the old Luffy was coming back. Luffy then turned his attention back towards the ocean. Garuka was getting closer and closer.

"Are you excited?" Hazuki asked.

"Yeah. This is almost over…We're definitely getting your sister back. I know it!"

Luffy grinned determinedly. Nothing was going to stop him this time around.

* * *

Man, this was a longer chapter than I originally intended. I started typing and I just kept going and going until I got to a point where I felt it was right to stop. I once again broke my record for the longest chapter of the story! Whoo! Also, I know I got a bit out of character with all the corny stuff I made Luffy say but I think it went well. On a side note…YAY! THE OLD LUFFY IS COMING BACK!

**Thoughts On Hazuki**

As for Hazuki, when I first created her character, I really saw no reason for her existence. In fact, Caout's sibling situation went through numerous changes. First, she had an older brother named Tazer. Then, I gave her a little brother. Then, I gave her a little brother and a little sister. Finally, I came up with Hazuki. Even after I went through all those changes, I still didn't think Hazuki had any point in the story. She just existed to be a sibling to Caout and she really didn't have much of a role in the first draft of this story. I actually planned on scrapping her, thinking I didn't need her.

Then, I started thinking. What if that was Hazuki's dilemma? What if Hazuki also felt that she wasn't needed, that she was just a minor character in this story between Luffy and Caout? I think that's when Hazuki came to life for me. I turned her from this minor character with no purpose into this girl with a lot of potential who feels inferior to the sister she has never met. I mean, a lot of siblings feel that they can't match up to or be loved equally with another sibling. Me included! And now I love Hazuki as much as I love the other Straw Hat kids.

Okay, please keep reading and reviewing! Thank you!


	26. The Players Have Gathered

The story is heading into the final act! Wow! It's amazing how close I am to finishing it. The story I spent most of my summer vacation working on instead of doing the summer work assigned to me! Well, I never was one to do work early…It's just not my style. Well, I hope all of you have been enjoying this story as much as I have. By the way, as of Friday, I have a new record for most hits on my story. I got 160 hits on Friday alone! That blows my previous record of 82 hits clear out of the water!

By the way I have another poll up on my profile. It's a question that I am sure is on the minds of many One Piece fans. That question is whether or not Sabo is alive…I hope you participate!

Disclaimer: It is a sad day, a sad day I tell you, when a young One Piece fan must tear her heart out and rip it to pieces by stating that she does not own One Piece! A sad day…But also necessary to avoid a lawsuit…

* * *

Within hours, a landmass was within the sight of the Thousand Sunny. Nami checked her Log Pose and confirmed it. That large island was definitely Garuka. In the next ten minutes, they would arrive at that island…and hopefully find some answers to their questions…

As Sunny kept sailing to her destination, the Straw Hat Pirates were busy watching their captain eating. Normally, they would try to stay far away from the rubber man when he ate. But, considering he hadn't had much of an appetite in a long time, they couldn't help but look at him. Luffy was finishing up a leg of mutton.

"Hey, Sanji!" he yelled with a full mouth, "Is there any more food?"

"YOU ALREADY ATE TWELVE HELPINGS!" the Straw Hats yelled half-heartedly at their leader with the bottomless stomach.

"Really…?" Luffy said with wonder, "Huh…I thought I only had eight…"

"That's all you're getting, Luffy," Sanji said, "You cleaned out over half of our food supply on your own. We're gonna have to restock when we reach Garuka…Or at least on the island we go to after that."

Luffy just shrugged his shoulders and proceeded to stuff the remaining morsels of food into his ever expanding mouth. It was a good thing that the others had already eaten…

The kids stared at Luffy with wonder. In the years they have known the straw hat boy, he barely touched food. Their parents had only told tales of his infamous black hole of a stomach. They had always believed the stories to be exaggerations…No one could have such a large appetite, right?

"Looks like the stories were true after all…" Kuina said as she gaped at Luffy.

"…We _do_ have enough food for lunch and dinner, right?" Anna asked, sounding worried.

"…Yeah…I'm sure we do…" Tamaki replied, his voice implying that he was unsure.

When Luffy started choking from a bone being stuck in his throat, Annetoinette gave him some water while he reached down his throat and grabbed the bone.

"You should slow down, Luffy…" she warned, though Luffy kept going at his regular pace.

"Where does it all go?" Sky asked in amazement.

Hazuki just kept laughing hysterically at the situation. So…This was how her moody father was really like? What a shock!

* * *

Meanwhile, in the town of Haustella on the island of Garuka, Caout opened her eyes slowly. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. She took a brief glance at the clock and saw that it was eleven in the morning. Some of the other patients were awake and had started up with their groans and moans. The nurses were walking from bed to bed, checking on the patients. The old doctor guy was also checking on everyone's statuses. Caout glanced down beside her and saw that Tide was still fast asleep.

"Nyra, wake up," Caout said sleepily, though she was awake enough to remember to use the fake names in the presence of the other people, "We seriously overslept…"

Tide moaned lightly but finally sat up. Caout was able to quietly warn her that the medical personnel were nearby so Tide put up her act of being a helpless little kid.

"And how are you this morning, Listerra?" one nurse asked as she came to Caout's bed.

"I'm just fine, ma'am!" Caout replied with a grin.

"And how is your sister? Nyra?" the woman asked, remembering that the girl with the blindfold and hat that she never removed wouldn't talk.

"She's alright too," Caout answered, "Can we take off these bandages now? They itch!"

"I'll get another nurse and we'll remove them. Based on how well they have healed, we'll either replace the bandages or keep them off."

An hour later, after Caout and Tide had brushed their teeth and ate breakfast, two nurses removed the bandages. The doctor observed, seeing how well the injuries were healing. The poorly healed scar on Caout's neck was doing a lot better, well enough that it didn't need to be wrapped anymore.

"That scar will always be there," the doctor said as he looked at the long dark mark.

"Oh well," was all Caout said in response.

After all the bandages have been removed, the doctor concluded that they had healed remarkably fast. There would be no permanent scarring. So, all in all, Caout and Tide were given a clean bill of health.

"Well, that's odd," the doctor said lowly, "What on earth happened to your tattoos?"

Caout flinched as she realized that the swirl marks that covered her and Tide's wounds had vanished. She scrambled to think of an excuse.

"C'mon, doc!" she said with a laugh, "Did you really think that our parents would let us get _**real**_ tattoos? We're only eight! These were washable tattoos! I guess they came off because of the medicine!"

"I guess so," the doctor said with a small chuckle. Caout could tell that the man was still a bit wary as he walked off.

"Why _did_ our wounds heal so fast?" Tide asked Caout inconspicuously once the doctor and nurses had gotten out of earshot, "And what happened to those strange swirl marks?"

"That's how Reo's stupid demons work," Caout whispered, "The wounds heal in no time, no more than a couple of days. As for the swirls, they only stay on if the victim is dead…"

Tide gave Caout a look because of the matter of fact way the girl had mentioned death. Caout just shrugged and put her cowboy hat into its odd hanging off her neck by the string position.

"We should get going soon," she said softly.

Tide nodded in agreement.

* * *

In the forest that the main path on the island wound through, Reo opened up his umbrella. The forest was becoming less dense, signaling that he was about to arrive at his destination. The sun was out and shining…How dreadful for him. He hid in the shade his umbrella provided. After all, he couldn't stand light…An unfortunate side effect of housing demons.

"Well, look what we have here," Reo said softly as he came out of the forest.

He reached a fork in the road, one arrow pointing to the docks while another arrow pointed towards some town named Haustella. Reo wondered which path he should take…

"Hmm…The girl probably wants to get off this island as soon as possible…" he said to himself, "However, you said that she and the Carrier girl were both hurt badly, correct?"

"Yes," a demon hissed from inside Reo's cloak, "We did some damage to those little girls."

"Well then…It's only natural to assume that the girl would want to seek medical attention for her injuries…Wouldn't you agree?"

With that, Reo headed off down the path to the unsuspecting little town.

* * *

"Everyone! Get out on deck! We're about to dock on Garuka!"

The Straw Hat Pirates came out onto the deck of the Thousand Sunny when they heard Ayrel's shout. They prepared themselves and the ship for the docking process. It took some maneuvering to get it right, considering that the dock was on the small side.

Within minutes, everything was set. Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Ayrel and Hazuki all got off Sunny. They would be the exploration team, gathering information and finding out whether or not that weird cloaked man and/or Caout were on this island. Based on their findings, the rest of the crew would react.

Luffy had allowed Hazuki to come with them for the first time in her life. She was excited.

"You guys better watch out for her!" Nami warned the adults, "Or I will kill every last one of you!"

"Yeah, yeah, we know!" they responded.

The first thing the group saw as they headed into the portside town was a little group of graves. Based on the looks of them, Ayrel concluded that they were freshly made. Keeping that in mind, they continued into the village. Of course, they all garnered plenty of attention. The villagers whispered amongst themselves, eyeing the group of pirates carefully. People scrambled out of their way and mothers were ushering their children inside.

"Who are you and what the hell do you want?"

Luffy and the group stopped at the sound of the voice. A man stood before them, wrapped in bandages, his arm in a cast. He glared at the group with such hatred. Hazuki, who had been leading the whole time, found herself intimidated by the man. She ran back to Luffy and hid behind him.

"Hi there!" Luffy said as innocently as he could, "We don't want to bother anybody, we promise. We're just-"

"I asked who are you?" the man yelled more fiercely.

"Geez, you should watch that temper!" Luffy said under his breath, adding more loudly, "I'm Luffy. This girl is Hazuki and these guys are Ayrel, Sanji and Zoro."

Luffy and the gang watched as the villagers flinched at the names. The man who was yelling at them seemed to turn pretty pale. Then, the whispers started up again.

"Did you hear that? Luffy! Straw Hat Luffy! The Pirate King!"

"Then that guy with the green hair is Pirate Hunter Zoro! He's so scary!"

"Then, he's Black Leg Sanji! How terrifying!"

"The woman is Gold Flash Ayrel! The one who betrayed the Marines and joined the pirates!"

"But who's that little kid supposed to be?"

The man who had yelled at the group got his courage back.

"So, you guys are the Straw Hat Pirates, huh?" he asked, "Well, get off of this island! We don't want you here!"

"Koi!" some villager yelled at the man, "Get away! These guys are legendary pirates!"

"I don't give a damn who they are!" the man named Koi yelled, "They're not welcome here! Geez! First that kid shows up here, then that strange man and now pirates!"

Luffy snapped to attention at those words.

"Hey, old guy!" he called, stepping toward Koi, "A strange man came through here? And a kid?"

"N-n-none of your business!" Koi yelled in response, cowering slightly as the Pirate King drew closer and closer.

"This man," Luffy continued, "Did he have a black cloak? And he was able to summon monsters from it?"

"H-how did you-?"

"We're looking for that man," Zoro said, "We've been hunting him for eight years now."

"So, Luffy's hunch was right after all," Sanji said, "That cloaked guy is on this island…"

"What about this kid?" Luffy asked, sounding a little desperate, "Was it a little girl? Looks sort of like me?"

Koi didn't know what to say. Why were these infamous pirates searching for that cloaked bastard who had attacked him and killed his friends? And what did they want with that girl?

"The girl is my sister," Hazuki piped up from behind Luffy, "The cloaked guy stole her away years ago and we're trying to find them…"

Koi's eyes widened at the little redhead. While it seemed so impossible, the girl didn't look like she was lying. And the man…The Pirate King…The look on his face was so pleading. Was it the truth then? Koi gritted his teeth as he tried to come to a decision.

"The two of them headed into that forest days ago…" Koi finally said with a heavy sigh, "The girl was looking for the docks that held ships going to other islands. The man was looking for the girl. Follow the main path and it will lead you to a fork in the road. There's a sign at that fork that will lead you to the docks…"

"Thanks, old guy!" Luffy said happily.

He and the others started off towards the forest.

"By the way," Koi said, "The journey will take you several days!"

The pirates literally froze in their tracks. After a moment, they turned around slowly. Their eyes were wide open and their jaws had dropped.

"_**DID YOU SAY DAYS**_?"

* * *

The guard who was stationed at the entrance to the ruined town of Haustella was standing at attention. He stood guard, ready to prevent any strange characters from approaching the town. In the distance, coming up the path, was a group of men. The guard frowned and stood ready. He loosened up when he recognized the men, who were wearing Marine uniforms.

"Oh, Captain Silver," the guard said, greeting the Marines, "It's a pleasure having you back here, sir! What brings you to Haustella?"

"Well, we have reason to believe a terrifying monster is here," Silver said darkly.

The guard was confused. Terrifying monster?

"Do you remember the Elementist girl?" Lieutenant Kushiro asked.

The guard nodded furiously. How could he forget that little bitch? It was because of her that his brother…

"We believe she may have returned to this town," Kushiro said to the guard's horror, "Have you seen her around here?"

"No, we definitely haven't," the guard said with absolute certainty. He would have remembered if that demon had arrived in town. The only visitors they had were those two girls who were hurt during that flood in the town of Este.

"Are you sure?" Kushiro asked. The guard nodded in response, "Captain, perhaps we were wrong? Maybe she went to the docks?"

Silver thought for a moment.

"Guard," he said, "Have you seen a girl with black hair and a red cowboy hat?"

"Why yes," the guard said, "That girl arrived here with her sister. Poor things…They were swept away during a flood in the town of Este. They were hurt badly….Why?"

Silver and Kushiro gave each other a look.

"We have an announcement for the town…" Silver said lowly.

* * *

Awesome! Another chapter is completed! So everyone is on Garuka. And it looks like Haustella is about to face more action…I'm not sure how many more chapters until the story is done. Not that many.

Keep reading and reviewing everyone! Please and thank you!


	27. And So It Has Begun

Only a few more chapters before this is all over. I'm only guessing here but I think my maximum for chapters in this story will probably be thirty five. I don't think I will end up at thirty five chapters but that's my guess. Most likely I'll end up at around thirty one or thirty two perhaps…Oh well, no matter how long this story is I intend to still go with the ending I have in mind.

Okay, this is a warning for everyone who is not up to date with the current manga chapter of the One Piece series. **SPOILER** **ALERT**! DO NOT READ THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENS IN CHAPTER 597 OF ONE PIECE!

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece in any way, shape or form…

* * *

"We don't have days to find those guys!" Ayrel yelled in exasperation, "By the time we get to the other end of this island, they'll probably be gone!"

Yes, it was quite a dilemma that the Straw Hat crew was faced with. Apparently, walking to the other side of the island would take several days…Days that they did not have to waste. After all, who knows how long the weird cloaked man and Caout had been on this island?

"So what are we going to do, Captain?" Zoro asked Luffy.

Luffy sat on a barrel and stared hard at the ground. Here they were, on Garuka…Both Caout and the man with the black cloak were within his reach for the first time in years. But how could they get to them without wasting so much time?

"Hey! Old guy!" Luffy yelled to Koi, who was watching them carefully from a distance, "How long would it take to sail around the island?"

"Sail, huh?" Koi responded, "Well, considering how rough the currents around the island are, you could most likely reach the other end sometime early tomorrow morning…Probably by sunrise."

"Then, that's our answer, isn't it?" Sanji said, "Looks like we're sailing…"

The group stood up, having made their decision.

* * *

"Huh?"

Caout had been stretching herself when she noticed a bunch of people running outside the hospital. Where were they all in a hurry to go? Curious, Caout walked over to the doorway to check what was going on outside. She noticed that the doctor, nurses and even the old secretary lady were out there too.

"What's all the commotion about?" she asked quietly.

Suddenly, Caout saw a glimpse of something familiar. White and blue…A seagull…Next thing she knew, a man was stepping up on a box with a megaphone in his hand. A vaguely familiar man…

"Wait a second…" Caout said under her breath, "That guy is…"

_"You, girl! Have you seen a girl who looks like this?"_

_"You see…This girl is of a…frightening species."_

_It's him! That Marine guy! _Caout thought with horror.

Had the man followed them all this time? Why was he here? Caout was sure that she and Tide had been extra careful to have no unwanted guests with them. The Marine, Captain Silver, put the megaphone to his mouth and took a deep breath.

"Citizens of Haustella!" he said, his voice amplified so that all could here, "I am sure you remember me from when I can here three months earlier."

"Captain Silver! Welcome back!" one villager shouted.

"You're so amazing, sir!" another said with glee.

"Thank you for helping us back then!" yet another yelled.

"Huh…" Caout said, trying to remain hidden from the doorway of the hospital, "So he helped them out after that whole thing between the town and Nyshairyn?"

Silver put up a hand to silence the energetic and happy crowd, a hard task considering the villagers were all excited that their savior had returned.

"Please, your thanks are unnecessary," Silver said, "I was only doing what was right, helping innocent civilians who were suffering…"

Caout rolled her eyes. How corny…

"But I have something very important to address," Silver said seriously, "So please everyone! Quiet down and listen to me!"

The townsfolk did as the man asked.

"Now, I am sure you all remember the demon girl who destroyed this town," he said, only to be drowned by the roars of the crowd.

"Of course we remember her! That child of the devil!"

"We have been waiting for the chance to torture her since she disappeared!"

"Have you found her, Captain?"

The other Marines settled the people down. After a minute, Silver began talking again.

"A few days ago, on the other end of the island, I learned that the Carrier girl had been staying in a portside village. By the time I got there, she was long gone."

Silver continued his tale of how he and his men then followed a series of clues that eventually led to the town. Caout sweated as she heard the tale…

"So, based on the evidence I found," Silver continued, "I have concluded that the Elementist is, without a doubt, back in Haustella!"

He waited as murmurs of fear and anger spread throughout the crowd.

"But that's impossible!" one person said, "We've been on guard ever since Haustella was destroyed! There's no way she could have gotten in without our knowing!"

"I am afraid that you were all tricked!" Kushiro then said, "It looks like the girl has snuck into the village in disguise."

"And that's not all," Silver said over the heated roars of the people, "We have reason to believe she has a hostage with her! The girl is acting like she is in cahoots with the Carrier but we believe it's an act and that she really is fearing for her life!"

Caout ran back inside as the people talked about this information, horrified by what they have learned. She ran to the bed where Tide was lying, back asleep. Caout shook the girl roughly.

"Nyshairyn!" Caout hissed as she shook the body back and forth, "Wake up, stupid!"

Tide got up with a start. She pulled off the blindfold and rubbed her eyes groggily as Caout yelled. Having woken up suddenly, nothing was registering in her head. As soon as she was awake enough, Tide hit Caout across the head.

"HEY!" Caout yelled, "What the hell was that for?"

"For being annoying," Tide replied indifferently, "What are you yelling about?"

"Well, um…" Caout said nervously, "Do-do you remember that Marine guy from a few days ago…?"

Tide nodded. Of course she remembered that man. Thank God they got rid of him. He would have probably been a pest.

"Well," the cowboy hat wearing girl continued, "Let's just say now would probably be a nice time to leave for the docks…"

Tide frowned more than usual and walked over to a nearby window. She looked out and saw Captain Silver and his men talking to the townsfolk. Tide growled and marched back towards Caout.

"Alright, Listerra!" she said, "Let's get out of here!"

Tide then reached up and yanked off the cap that she had been wearing. For the first time in a while, Tide's long pink hair was back in the open hair. Tide reached back and tightened her ponytail.

"No point in the disguise," she said, "Let's move!"

The two hurried towards the front door when Captain Silver's voice stopped them.

"Since the Carrier is in disguise, I will describe her hostage to you! She is a girl around the same age as the Carrier. Black hair and black eyes. She's tan. Wears a red cowboy hat…"

As the description continued, Caout furrowed her brow.

"Wow…That hostage sounds like me…"

Tide hit the girl on her temple.

"You fool, he is describing _**you**_! He thinks I took you hostage!"

Caout put her hands on her hips and frowned at the blue eyed girl.

"_**Me**_? _**Your**_ hostage? As if I'd ever let someone like you kidnap me!"

"Captain! I've seen a girl who looks like that!"

Caout and Tide froze when they heard that voice.

"It's the old man!" Caout exclaimed as she saw the doctor.

"A girl who looks exactly like that arrived in Haustella," the doctor explained, "With her was a girl who she claimed was her sister. They said they were refugees from the town of Este, which suffered a flash flood a few days earlier. They were injured and so I have been treating them in my hospital."

_Refugees, huh? _Silver thought. _What a clever demon…_

Silver silently signaled his men and the group marched towards the hospital. Tide and Caout watched as they came closer, murmuring about how they would finally catch the demon girl and be rid of her. Behind them, the townsfolk watched. They all had anxious, hopeful faces. They couldn't wait for the Carrier who caused them so much pain to be dead.

"C'mon, Listerra," Tide whispered as she grabbed Caout's arm, "We'll go out some way in the back. C'mon!"

But Caout didn't move. Instead, she ripped her arm out of Tide's grip and clenched her fists. To Tide's shock, the girl ran out the door and faced the approaching Marines. The men stopped in their tracks and the villagers eyed the girl carefully.

"Ah, you're name was Caout, correct?" Silver said, remembering the girl from days ago, "I didn't appreciate you lying to me back then about your family…"

"Sorry," Caout responded, though her face didn't look apologetic.

"Come with us," Kushiro said, extending her hand towards the girl, "It's alright. You're safe now."

Caout didn't budge in inch. She merely crossed her arms and stared at the men.

"I won't go," she said lowly.

"It's alright," Kushiro continued, "You don't have to worry about that Elementist anymore…Just come over to us. We'll go in there and get rid of her."

"I won't let you touch her!" Caout shouted, "She's my partner!"

The townsfolk whispered amongst themselves. What was wrong with this girl? Why was she protecting the Carrier? Kushiro looked over at Silver.

"Stockholm Syndrome," Silver said, shaking his head in pity for the girl, "Sometimes, hostages will form positive feelings toward their captors…It's a psychological condition…"

_Psychological, my ass…_Caout thought, though she refrained from saying it aloud…Or admitting she had no idea what the hell Silver was talking about…

"Listen to me, Caout," Silver said softly, "That girl is an Elementist, a Carrier…"

"I'm not her hostage!" Caout yelled in return, "If anything she's _my_ hostage! I made her take me all over the island."

"That girl has hurt a lot of people," Silver said, apparently ignoring Caout's words. The townsfolk murmured in agreement, "She killed a lot of innocent people who did nothing wrong…She has to face punishment for-"

"YOU KNOW _**NOTHING**_ ABOUT HER!" Caout yelled, her anger bursting forth, "A demon? A monster? A murderer? You guys know nothing! Do you even have a _clue_ what she went through?"

Caout put up her fists and glared at the men.

"Give me your best shot," she said, "Because I am not letting that annoying kid get killed…"

Silver and some of the Marines started laughing, along with the townsfolk. After all, what could a little girl do? Caout decided to shut them up by stretching out her arm and punching one Marine square in the jaw. Everyone watched in shock as the man went down.

"Wha-?" was all that anyone was able to say before Caout launched her next attack.

"GUM-GUM WHIP!" she yelled as she swung her outstretched leg at the men.

Only Silver and Kushiro were able to duck in time. The other Marines got slammed by the leg and collapsed to the ground. The villagers screamed in terror.

"What's wrong with her?" one of the villagers asked, "She stretched!"

"Is she a demon too?"

"She took down the Marines so easily!"

"So…" Kushiro said lowly, "It looks like she has Devil Fruit powers…"

Silver glared at the girl, who had a smirk on her face. Those powers…There was only one person in the world that he knew had those powers…

_So the Pirate King is a dad…_Silver thought as he rose to his feet.

Behind him, one of the Marines got to his feet. He took out his handheld bazooka and aimed it at the girl.

"You little bitch!" he yelled as he shot at Caout.

Caout gritted her teeth. What would she do against that? But she wasn't given the opportunity to think up a solution.

Without warning, Tide jumped in front of the girl.

"Wind Scythe!" she yelled as she sent a wave of wind at the projectile.

The resulting collision created a deafening explosion.

* * *

As Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Ayrel and Hazuki headed back towards the Thousand Sunny, they stopped. They turned back towards the forest, all having heard the same thing.

"That was an explosion," Zoro said, "But from where?"

"It sounds like it came from the other end of the island…" Sanji answered.

Luffy frowned…That noise…It could probably be from some random people fighting. Or maybe…Luffy turned and took in a deep breath.

"YOU GUYS!" he yelled at the top of his lungs so that the Straw Hats on the ship could hear him, "SET SAIL TO THE OTHER END OF GARUKA! WE'LL MEET YOU THERE!"

While the Straw Hats wanted to question the order, they changed their minds. Luffy probably knew what he was doing.

"C'mon, guys!" Luffy said to his group, "We're gonna do some running!"

"Luffy, are you crazy?" Ayrel asked, "That man said that it'll take days-"

"If we run really fast, we should get there before the day is over…After all, we're really, _really_ fast when we want to be, right?"

"But-"

"Listen, I have a feeling that Caout is wherever that explosion occurred. We can't waste time getting Sunny ready and sailing around. It might be too late to do anything by then!"

"I agree with Papa on this…"

The adults looked down to see Hazuki looking at them…They had forgotten she was there.

"What about Haz, Luffy?" Ayrel asked, "How is she gonna keep up?"

Luffy smiled and picked up his daughter. He put her on his back so that she was riding piggyback.

"All Haz needs to do is hold on…" Luffy said, as if it was the greatest idea.

The others looked at each other and sighed. Let Luffy be Luffy…

"If there are no more complaints…Let's go!" Luffy yelled.

With that the group started running into the forest. It would take them a little time to pick up speed…But they were determined…They were gonna reach the other end of the island…

* * *

Another chapter done! Yay! Okay, final warning…**SPOILER** **ALERT** FOR CHAPTER 597!

I haven't read the actual chapter yet but I read the confirmed spoilers. So we finally see the tattoo and learn that the message is that the Straw Hats will meet at Sabaody Archipelago in _**two**_ _**years**_! That means the next time we see Luffy, he'll be 19 years old…I wonder how everyone will look in two years…

Zoro is gonna train under Mihawk and Luffy is gonna train under Rayleigh to learn how to use Haki! How cool!

To be honest, I was a bit disappointed by the revelation of the tattoo. I thought it was gonna be something in memory of Ace…I hope Luffy got rid of it. I didn't see any images but I hope he got rid of that tattoo. No point in keeping it when the Straw Hats got the message…

One final thing. Apparently, Oda is taking a huge break after this chapter…Get this. He'll be gone for FOUR WEEKS! Four weeks of no One Piece! I'll die of boredom! Oh well, I have to keep in mind that Oda will give us an absolutely fantastic chapter when he comes back. An epic new saga of One Piece will begin!

Read and review, please!


	28. The Hunter Arrives

Hello again everybody! I hope you are all having a good day! Well, I am getting more nervous as the first day of school draws closer and closer for me. In fact, it seems that the closer the first day gets, the busier I'm becoming. The only time I have on the computer is the time to type up the next chapter of this story…

I really have nothing interesting to say so why don't we get on with the tale?

Disclaimer: One Piece is not owned by a lowly being such as myself…

* * *

The explosion that resulted from the collision between Tide's Wind Scythe and the Marine's bazooka threw everyone back a few feet. A huge cloud of dirt and dust went into the air, making it impossible to see more than a foot or two in front of you.

Tide sat up on the ground. She coughed as a bunch of dirt went into her lungs and rubbed her eyes. The dust was stinging. As she tried to see what was going on around her, she heard the yells of terror coming from all around her.

_The townsfolk…_Tide thought.

"What a huge explosion!" an unseen man yelled.

"That was so scary! That Elementist girl is at it again!" a woman screamed.

"Everybody! Run for cover!" another man shouted.

Tide jumped to her feet and brushed off her dress. She kept on high alert. After all, those Marines were still around. Then, suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder.

Tide turned quickly and landed a punch directly in the middle of the person's face. It was as her fist made contact with the person that she realized…This person is the same height as her…

"Ugh!" the person exclaimed as she landed on the ground.

"Listerra," Tide said, realizing it was her partner, "Don't sneak up behind me like that!"

"You're the one who hit me without seeing who it was, you jerk!" Caout yelled as she jumped to her feet, unscathed.

After all, punches don't hurt a rubber girl.

Tide clapped her hand over the girl's mouth and glanced around. She heard yells and crying and running but couldn't see anyone thanks to the dust cloud. And it sounded like no one was heading in their direction.

"C'mon," she said, tugging on Caout's arm, "While this cloud has them distracted, we can make a break for it!"

"We're running?" Caout asked, as though it was the worst idea ever, "We can't just run from a fight, Nyshairyn!"

"Listerra, we have to!" Tide replied, "Keep your voice low! You don't want them to find us!"

"That's exactly what I want!" Caout said, clenching her fist in front of her face, "Those guys have caused nothing but trouble for you! Let's beat them up!"

Tide flicked the girl on the forehead. Even though it didn't hurt the girl, she still looked at Tide indignantly.

"Idiot!" Tide hissed, "Get your priorities straight! This dust cloud is giving us the chance to escape here and get to the docks unharmed! You want to leave this island, don't you?"

Caout frowned. While she didn't like leaving during a fight, she had to admit that Tide had a point. Caout, begrudgingly, consented to the idea of running.

"Then let's go!" Tide said as she started walking.

She had taken no more than a few steps when a loud bang filled the air. Caout watched, mouth open, as Tide fell to her knees. She was clutching her shoulder.

Caout ran over to the girl. She noticed that the white fabric of the dress that Tide was grabbing was quickly turning a deep red.

"I think I got the demon!"

Caout quickly snapped her head around to see a group of five Marines coming from the dust. They all had their guns trained on the two girls. Caout listened to them cock their weapons.

"Nyshairyn," Caout said as she stood up, "You okay?"

"Yeah," Tide gasped, standing as well, "It's just a minor wound…I've had worse…"

"By order of the Marines, you are both under arrest!" one Marine said, "Surrender quietly and we won't shoot!"

"I never do anything quietly," Caout scoffed, "And surrender to _you_ _jerks_? Not in this lifetime!"

"You can either surrender without a fight," another Marine said, "Or we'll shoot you and take you in by force…You may be children but your both criminals…So, what's your choice?"

Caout jokingly looked like she was pondering her answer. Then, she gave the men an evil smirk.

"I choose the latter!" she shouted as she stretched her arm suddenly.

Her fist collided with one Marine and sent him flying back into the dust. The other four men took the attack as the signal to fire. As they shot, Tide clenched her teeth. What were they going to do?

Caout quickly stood before Tide, shielding the girl. Tide could only watch as the bullets collided with the girl. She waited for the blood to fly out from the wounds the girl had. What she saw instead was parts of Caout's skin stretching towards her…

Tide watched as Caout's skin sent the bullets flying back towards the Marines. The men dropped as they were hit by their own shots. Tide stared at Caout, who grinned at her widely.

"Bullets don't bother me!" she said cheerfully, "But I hate being shot at! It's really scary!"

Tide shook her head slightly and said nothing. Do not question it, just go with it…

* * *

Just down the road from Haustella, Reo was walking slowly under the shade of his umbrella. He had heard the explosion from a few minutes earlier and smirked.

"Wherever there's trouble," he said lowly, "Caout isn't too far away…"

The demons inside his cloak chuckled as well. They almost had her…

* * *

Caout and Tide ran as the sounds of gunfire and shouting filled the dusty air. Tide held onto Caout's arm so that she wouldn't lose the girl in all of the chaos.

"You sure you know where you're going, Nyshairyn?" Caout asked.

"Yeah, don't worry about that!" Tide replied, "Just keep on the lookout for any obstacles…"

"...Hey, Nyshairyn?"

"...What...Listerra?"

"Obstacle at two o'clock…"

Tide looked and saw some Marines running toward the two of them. The duo stopped as the men drew closer.

"Back up, Listerra!" Tide warned.

"What are you going to do?" Caout asked as she stepped back.

"Get rid of them," she responded, "And also clear up this air a little…"

Caout observed as Tide extended both her arms out to the sides of her. The Elementist then proceeded to start turning, spinning faster and faster. Caout was amazed as she went so fast that she became a blur of colors…How could a girl move so quickly?

Suddenly, Caout saw the spinning Tide become lost inside a fairly large tornado. As the tornado sucked in the dust and some planks of wood that were being used for rebuilding homes, Caout noticed the air becoming so much clearer. She could finally see around again. Caout hung onto a large tree that was behind her, making sure that she wasn't sucked into the twister.

A couple Marines weren't as lucky as her. The suction of the tornado pulled two of them in. Caout laughed as she saw them swirling around along with the dirt and debris, screaming like little kids. Then, Tide jumped out of the tornado, still spinning, and kicked it. Was it possible for someone to kick a tornado? Apparently, for an Elementist of air it was!

The tornado then collided with the remaining Marines, spun them around for a few more seconds, before disintegrating. The Marines plummeted several feet before smashing into the ground. Caout burst out laughing.

"That was so freakin' awesome, Nyshairyn!" she giggled.

When the girl didn't respond, Caout looked to see what was up. Tide was still spinning, albeit at a very slow rate. When she finally came to a stop, she wobbled for a second before collapsing in a heap. Caout kneeled down next to the Carrier.

"What's up with you?" she asked, "I mean, besides what's normally wrong with you?"

"I can't stand spinning," Tide answered slowly, feeling too sick to say a comeback to Caout's remark, "I get dizzy easily…"

Caout shook her head. What a girl…Since it was obvious that Tide wouldn't be standing up anytime soon, and since they were still being pursued, Caout grabbed the girl's arm and proceeded to drag her as she ran.

She didn't see Silver following them…

* * *

Reo entered the town and had witnessed the large tornado, which had disappeared as quickly as it had shown up. He glanced around the village with little interest.

_What a dump…_Reo thought as he observed the ruined buildings.

As he walked, he saw a small crowd of people up ahead. They were talking amongst themselves and sounded really pissed off.

"Damn that Carrier girl!" one said, "Why couldn't she just giver herself up and let us move on with our lives peacefully?"

"And what's wrong with that other girl?" another asked, "Not only did she openly defy Marines and say that she would protect that demon, she stretched!"

Reo's attention peaked with that statement.

"Of course a monster would attract other monsters…" another in the crowd said as Reo walked up to them.

"Excuse me," he said coolly, "But I couldn't help but overhear your conversation…You said a girl who stretched came through here?"

The crowd eyed this new guy suspiciously. He was dressed oddly and looked deathly pale…And why was he walking under an umbrella when it wasn't raining?

"What about it?" a member of the crowd answered Reo bravely.

"I've been looking for that girl for a long time," Reo answered casually, "She ran away from the…_**facility**_…I work for. I've been sent to retrieve her before she hurts herself or others…"

The crowd murmured at this. So the stretchy girl was from some facility? Was she dangerous? Perhaps, mentally unstable? That would explain why she would aid a devil child and hurt innocent Marines…The crowd then told Reo the general direction that the girl and the Carrier had run in.

"I appreciate it," Reo said as he walked that way.

He had walked for several minutes and was in the middle of the town when he came across Kushiro. The lieutenant was looking for Captain Silver, whom he had lost track of in the midst of the dust cloud and the ensuing chaos.

"You!" Kushiro yelled at Reo, "What're you doing here? All citizens must leave this town at once. It isn't safe here."

"Oh, I'm no citizen," Reo said with a smirk, "Call me a hunter…"

Kushiro gave the strange man a look. What was this bad feeling that he was getting from this guy?

"Have you seen a girl who could stretch like rubber?" Reo asked, "Possibly hanging around with a Carrier?"

"Yes, they ran not too long ago," Kushiro answered, "They are most likely heading towards the docks to look for a ship off this island. My captain has probably gone after them. He'll find them and bring them back here…Alive or dead…"

"Well, that won't do at all," Reo said, "You see, I don't care about the mongrel…But I need the rubber girl to be alive…So, if you don't mind, I'm gonna go after them myself…Maybe I can convince your captain to call off his pursuit…After all, the rubber child is my prey."

Reo took a single step before Kushiro drew his blade.

"I don't know who you are and I don't care," he said, "But Captain Silver has this under control so I suggest you just leave…"

Reo chuckled…A dark, evil chuckle…Kushiro shuddered slightly…He watched as the man opened his cloak…

"Oh well," Reo said moments later, "What a shameful waste of life…But you shouldn't have stopped me like that…"

Reo continued walking, slowly and causally.

On the ground, lying in a pool of blood, was the mauled body of Kushiro. He had tried to fight the demons, Reo could say that…But of course some upstart Marine would be no match for his minions.

Neither would a Marine Captain or a Carrier be any trouble for him either…He was the hunter and he would get his prey…One way or the other…

* * *

And another chapter is done! Okay, this story is getting closer and closer to its finale. I hope everyone is as excited as I am! I'll try my best to make these chapters as entertaining as possible.

Please keep reading and reviewing everyone! I appreciate it!


	29. The Deal

I'm busy! I'm busy! Busy, busy, busy! Busy with this! Busy with that! Very, very busy! Thank you for enduring my little song about how busy I am with school starting for me in a little over a week…Shall we get on with the story? I think we should…

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece in the slightest…It is under the ownership of Master Oda…

* * *

It was nearly half past seven. The sun was on the horizon. In another half hour or so, the sun would disappear and night would fall.

At the fork in the road, with one path pointing towards Haustella, the other pointing towards the docks, Luffy and his small group came to a stop. Hazuki got off her father's back as he bent over. He put his hands on his knees, panting hard, sweating bullets and coughing. Hazuki checked on the condition of the others. Sanji was kneeling on one leg, breathing heavily. Ayrel had started a coughing fit. Zoro remained standing tall, but he was breathing just as hard as the others. Hazuki was the only one who was perfectly okay…Then again, she hadn't been running all this time…

Who could blame the grownups for being exhausted though? These four super humans had completed a three to four day journey in around six hours.

"Man…" Ayrel gasped out, "We're getting…way too…old for this!"

"You think…we'd be used to this…after all these…years…" Zoro added.

"What are you guys talking about?" Hazuki said, hands on her hips, "You aren't _that_ old! Papa's not even thirty yet!"

Luffy stood up and looked at the sign pointing at the two paths. Haustella…The docks…Which was the right path?

"Look," Ayrel said as she looked down the path to the town, "There's a lot of smoke rising over there…"

They all saw that there was indeed a huge plume of black smoke in that direction.

"So that must be where we have to go…" Sanji said.

"Alright then!" Luffy exclaimed as he started running down that path. Apparently he had gotten his second wind, "Let's move everyone!"

The group decided to run at a regular pace due to their fatigue from the sprint they had just done. They had run for a minute before realizing…

"Wait, someone's missing…" Hazuki said.

Luffy, Sanji and Ayrel looked and saw that Zoro was running down the opposite path…The one that went towards the docks. They skidded to a stop.

"ZORO RAN OFF!" Ayrel yelled, "His direction sense sucks!"

"Damn it, you stupid Marimo!" Sanji shouted at the swordsman, "Why the hell did you go down that path?"

"You're supposed to be following me!" Luffy added.

Hazuki merely put her hand on her forehead…

Zoro stopped and ran to catch up with the others, a very slight blush on his cheeks.

"You guys are wasting time just standing here!" he yelled as he ran past the pirates.

"YOU'RE THE ONE WHO'S WASTING TIME, IDIOT!" Luffy, Sanji, Ayrel and Hazuki shouted at the same time.

* * *

Meanwhile, Caout was sprinting as fast as she could…Which was pretty fast considering that the voyage from the town to the docks was supposed to be a full day and she had covered it in a couple of hours. Thank God the path was marked or Caout definitely would have gotten lost. Behind Caout, being dragged by her legs, was a still out of commission Tide…The cowboy hat wearing girl didn't pay attention when she slammed her partner's body into rocks and fallen branches and stuff…

After all, they were in a hurry…

"You idiot!" Caout yelled as she dragged the girl, "If spinning affects you this badly then don't do it!"

"Sorry…" Tide said groggily.

She had been taking many blows to the head…They weren't helping her get better…

Caout stopped after a few more minutes. She sat on a nearby stump and panted. She couldn't keep running at such a rate forever…Tide laid on the ground beside her, eyes closed and breathing slowly and deeply.

"Okay," Tide said as she sat up slowly, "I think I'm starting to feel better…"

"About time!" Caout said in a ticked tone, "I didn't want to have to drag your lousy ass all over the place!"

Tide responded by elbowing the girl in the gut, knocking her off the stump.

"How much longer until we get to the docks?" Caout asked as she got up, brushing dirt off herself.

"Based on our surroundings, I would say another three hours…" Tide replied, gazing around uninterestedly, "You made some real progress…We got pretty far…"

"Yeah," Caout said in a tone that suggested her feat was nothing, "In my career, running quickly is sort of essential. I mean, I didn't want to be killed or discovered by-"

Caout clapped her hands over her mouth.

_Shoot… _she thought, sweating. _I said too much!_

Caout waited for Tide's questions about what she meant…After all, there was no way she didn't catch what was just spoken.

"Alright, Listerra…" Tide began.

Caout winced and waited.

"Break time is over. Let's get moving," she finished, getting up and starting to walk down the path.

Caout stared after the girl, eyes wide and mouth open. She wasn't going to ask?

"H-hold on, Nyshairyn!" Caout yelled at the pink haired girl.

Tide paused and turned casually towards her.

"There's no way you didn't catch what I said!" Caout said, "You definitely heard it but you aren't gonna question me on it?"

"Nah," Tide said, shaking her head, "I'm not really interested."

"But, I more or less forced you to reveal your past to me! Y-you don't want to do the same?"

"Listerra…" Tide said slowly, "It's obvious that whatever went on in your past was very painful. I got that just from how you reacted to those demons back in the forest. It's clear to me that you are in no condition to talk about it just yet…"

Caout furrowed her eyebrows…

"If you _do_ want to talk about," Tide continued, "Then let it be when you're _**ready**_…Not because you think you owe it to me."

Caout watched as Tide turned and continued to walk down the road. She watched the Elementist for a moment before taking off after her.

"And for the record," Tide added as the two kept walking, "That thing that happened in Haustella? That is only a tiny fraction of my past…Compared to the _**main**_ _**thing**_, that Haustella incident is _**nothing**_."

* * *

As some clock tower tolled out that it was eight o' clock, Luffy and his small band of pirates entered Haustella's main square. The sun had set now and the only things that were lighting up the area were lamps and a few small fires.

"Great! More people! Who the hell are you guys?"

The group saw a bunch of angry looking people heading for them.

"Oh, great…" Ayrel groaned, "We're here for five seconds and we already have the townsfolk mad at us."

"That's the life of a pirate…" Zoro answered her.

"I'm Hazuki," the little redheaded girl said in response to the citizens, "These guys are Zoro, Sanji, Ayrel and my father, Luffy…We need to know-"

"Hold on a minute!" a woman in the crowd said, "Luffy? As in Straw Hat Luffy? The Pirate King?"

Murmurs of fear rose spread through the group of citizens.

"It's the Straw Hat Pirates!"

"What are they doing on Garuka? It's such an out of the way island!"

"They're going to pillage the town and kill us!"

"As if we haven't suffered enough already!"

The pirates in question sighed loudly…Of course they would get this reaction…Now what?

"Get those Marines!" someone in the crowd yelled, "Maybe they can stop them!"

"They're still out of it! And one of them, the lieutenant, is dead!"

"All because of that demon and the rubber girl!"

Luffy snapped his head over at the teenage girl who said that. He marched towards her. The other people in the crowd screamed and scrambled as Luffy grabbed the girl by the shoulders. The other Straw Hats stood still and waited.

Some people in the crowd yelled at Luffy to leave the girl alone but no one was brave enough to try anything against the Pirate King. The teenager shook in terror because she was so close to such a famous pirate. The girl's mother ran at Luffy.

"Let her go!" she shouted, hitting the man on the arm, "Leave my daughter alone!"

"You said a rubber girl came through here?" Luffy asked the girl, ignoring the mother, "Was she around eight years old? Black hair and black eyes?"

The girl nodded quickly, tears coming to her eyes.

"Where is she now?" Luffy asked.

"Sh-sh-she left!" the girl said, trembling, "A few hours ago…"

"She was heading towards the docks!" someone else added, "A man went after her!"

"What man?" Zoro asked.

"I don't know…Some really pale guy with a black cloak."

Luffy let go of the girl quickly and turned towards the others. They nodded. The group of five then sprinted through the town. They had to get to the docks…Right away!

"Maybe you guys should have followed me earlier after all…" Zoro said smugly.

"We'll follow _you_ the same day Kuina starts wearing a dress!" Ayrel yelled, hitting the man in the back of the head.

* * *

Meanwhile, a couple miles away from where the girls were, Captain Silver was running down the path. When the rubber girl had picked up speed, he lost track of her and the Carrier. But he knew their destination…

"I will get you two and turn you into the authorities!" Silver growled, "The mongrel will either be shipped out or she will be killed! As for the Pirate King's daughter…Well, it may be unfortunate, but she will be executed as well! That man's evil blood cannot be spread!"

"Sorry, but I have some opposition to killing the rubber child…"

Silver snapped his head around at the voice. Reo was walking towards him casually, the umbrella swinging at his side. Since it was dark now, he had no need for it.

"Identify yourself!" Silver said, drawing his sword and pointing it at the man.

"Oh, you have no need to know me," Reo said with a small laugh, "But I have to ask you to please refrain from pursuing the Pirate King's daughter…I'm under strict orders to bring her back alive."

"Orders?" Silver said inquisitively, "Orders from whom?"

Reo chuckled and stopped only a foot away from Silver's blade.

"That's for me to know and for you to never find out…" Reo said.

Silver glared at the man while his head was swarming with questions. Who was this man? And why was he after the child of the Pirate King as well?

"Come one," Reo said as he pushed the blade's point away from him, "It's not like we're enemies, per say…You're original target was the Carrier child. My original target was the girl with the Gum-Gum Fruit's powers. If you start messing with my target or I start messing with yours, it wouldn't be very nice."

"The child of the Pirate King has to be executed," Silver said, though he put down his blade, "I must capture her."

"Yes, I know…" Reo said, "But see, what's the point of executing the girl? You'll have plenty of people all over the world who will complain about a child's life being taken…Even if it's the child of an infamous man…But if you let me have her and don't mention her existence to anyone, then it will be much better…"

"What are you talking about?" Silver asked as he put the sword back in its sheath.

"You see," Reo chuckled as he walked closer to Silver, "That rubber girl has been under the care of my master since she was only a little baby. She has lived with us for the past eight years, doing _**certain**_ _**tasks**_…She ran away several days ago and it's my job to get her back. Trust me when I say that the life that awaits her when she returns will be nothing short of torturous…A life of pain and suffering and never ending torment…Doesn't that sound like a more fitting punishment for the Pirate King's child?"

Silver frowned and thought about it…Yes, he had to admit…Having the girl suffered was fitting. It was her fault for being born with the blood of evil flowing through her veins.

"And in exchange for letting the rubber girl go, the Carrier is all mine, right?" Silver asked.

Reo nodded. Silver hesitated for a moment more before extending his hand. Reo took the hand and shook it.

"So, it's a deal then?" Reo said with a smirk.

"…It's a deal," Silver replied, "But the two are traveling together so-"

"Oh, don't worry about that! I'll separate them in no time…You just worry about how you're gonna take down a demon like the Carrier girl. I'll worry about Caout…"

* * *

Dum, dum dah! Cue dramatic music! Okay this story will be over soon. I have an idea of how many chapters are left but I don't want to put it down in case I change my mind. But it's a small number, I'll say that.

By the way, just for the fun of it, here are the birthdays for the kids! And Ayrel as well! Also, I put the reasons why I chose these birthdays.

**Caout: **August 15th (The main day of the Japanese Bon Festival. Relatives gather together at the sites of their ancestors. It's like a family reunion thing. I thought it was fitting since Caout's goal is to reunite with her family.)

**Tide: **June 15th (Power of a Smile Day. You may be thinking why I chose this when Tide never smiles. Trust me. It will seem fitting when you read a story I am planning for the future.)

**Hazuki: **September 4th (International Daughters Day, a day to appreciate daughters.)

**Kuina and Sky (Since they're twins): **January 9th (This is just a spur of the moment date. No reason behind it.)

**Tamaki: **April 23rd (World Book and Copyright Day. I chose this because Tamaki reads a lot and knows a bunch of stuff thanks to his love of books.)

**Anna: **December 12th (I just picked this out of nowhere…Twelfth day of the twelfth month…)

**Annetoinette: **August 30th (I know…Another August birthday. I just like August for some reason! No reason behind this date either. It just came to me.)

**Ayrel: **August 10th (The opening day of the Louvre art museum. How fitting for an artist.)

If you do the math and have paid attention to the notes I put on the bottom of each chapter, you can estimate that Caout was kidnapped in January at the age of five months.

Please keep reading and reviewing everyone!


	30. Divided and Reunited

Alright, this story is really, really close to its finale. I'm sad that it's going to end but I'm a little relieved as well. After all, I swore to myself to finish this story before school started and I want to keep that oath. This is my last full week of summer vacation. So sad…But let's forget about that and get on with this tale, huh? Like I said, we're nearing completion!

Disclaimer: There's no way I could handle the pressure of owning One Piece so I'm a little happy that I don't own it…Just a little…

* * *

Caout and Tide kept running down the path. They would look over their shoulders now and then to check and see if they were being followed. They had yet to sense anyone…

"How much longer, Nyshairyn?" Caout asked.

Tide glanced to her left and right, trying to identify her surroundings. Sure, she knew this island very well, having been hiding here for some time. But, since most of the forest was gone thanks to the Haustella incident, Tide was having difficulty recognizing anything.

"Let's stop," Tide said, pausing in front of a single tree.

"Why? Don't we have to get to the docks as soon as possible?" Caout asked, though she did stop.

Tide didn't answer. Instead she carefully looked around. She inspected the ground she stood on and the tree. Caout crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently. What was this girl doing?

"Got it," Tide said, looking at a mark on the tree.

She motioned for Caout to come over. When Caout got there, Tide pointed to a slash mark on the tree. Caout raised her eyebrow at the girl.

"I remember that mark," Tide said, "A day after I had arrived in Garuka, I went into this forest to see if I could find some fruit to eat. I found this bear instead. I knocked him out of course. But only after I had avoided being shredded by his claws. He got the tree instead."

"And you're sure this is the same tree that bear slashed?" Caout asked. Tide nodded, "Well, if you're certain…So how much farther?"

"I would say about forty minutes more," she answered.

Caout grinned as the two girls started running again. Forty more minutes…Forty more minutes until they reached the docks…Forty more minutes until they found a ship off this island…Forty more minutes until they-

Caout's smile slowly faded. Wait a moment. _She_ wanted to get off of Garuka…But what about Tide? What was _she_ going to do? Caout asked her such.

"I'm not certain," Tide responded as they kept running, "Why do you ask?"

"It's just…" Caout began, "Thanks to me, you can't live anywhere on this island…And there are so many people after you. So you'll have to run again won't you? I'm sorry…"

Tide came to a sudden halt, causing Caout to slam into her back. Caout fell on her butt and looked up at the girl. Tide turned slowly and knelt down before her. She had a serious look on her face…Then again, Tide never lost that serious look once.

"Listerra," she said softly, "I have lived a life full of regret…"

Caout said nothing. She merely crossed her legs and paid attention.

"I have done so many terrible things," the Elementist continued, "Terrible things that have earned me the scorn and hate of many. And I don't blame them for wishing me dead because I am a horrible monster."

Tide saw that Caout was going to interrupt and put a hand up to silence the girl.

"Every day of my life," Tide went on, "I hate that I am alive. I regret that I exist in this world…I regret that I did all the stuff I did…I regret all the pain and suffering, death and destruction that I caused…But there's one thing I don't regret in the slightest…_**Meeting**_ _**you**_…"

Caout tilted her head in confusion. Tide took a deep breath before going on.

"You are annoying…You are an absolute idiot. You constantly get us into trouble. I think you're insane and weird…But you didn't flinch when you learned what I was. Granted, you didn't even know what an Elementist or a Carrier was but still. You stood by me and stood up for me. You didn't abandon me once during this whole ordeal…And for that, I will always be grateful."

Caout glanced at the girl for a few moments before standing up.

"You know, Nyshairyn?" Caout said as she walked down the path, Tide trailing behind her, "From the very beginning, I considered you a weirdo. You never smiled, your eyes are always half closed and you wear no shoes…You have the strangest colored hair, freaky powers and you seem to be absolutely emotionless…"

Caout rubbed her nose before continuing.

"I'm not good with words…" she said, "But I want you to know…I'm glad I met you too."

As the two went on in silence, the same thought crossed both of their minds.

_Ugh…How could I say something so __**corny**__?_

* * *

Reo was heading down the path as well, at his usual slow rate. He had told Marine Captain Silver to go off and wait in a certain spot…That the little Carrier girl would be heading in his direction soon.

Reo paused and opened up his cloak. A group of five blobs popped out and became demons. They were all hissing and chuckling evilly. They knew the plan…

"Go and do things as we talked about," Reo said lowly, dismissing the creatures.

* * *

A few more miles away from Reo and Silver and the girls, the Straw Hat Pirates were running as quickly as possible down the path. Well, actually, they had sort of left the path but were going in the general direction of the was leading the pack, running as quickly as his body would let him after that insane sprinting they had done earlier in the day. His heart was beating too quickly and his lungs were hurting so bad…But none of that mattered…Because only one thought was going through his mind.

_Damn cloaked bastard…_he growled in his head. _You better not touch her!_

Hazuki was trailing behind the group, trying her hardest to keep up with the stronger and faster adults. Her legs were killing her by this point but she ignored the pain. She wasn't going to be the weak Hazuki that everyone had to keep an eye on. She was going to be Hazuki, the Straw Hat Pirate…

* * *

Caout and Tide walked at a slower pace. The docks were only half an hour away now. Since no one was coming after them, they decided to slow down and take their time. After all, they would end up saying goodbye in a few more minutes.

Tide stopped suddenly, causing Caout to bump into her yet again. While Caout complained about how Tide should warn her before stopping like that, the Carrier turned her head and concentrated. She heard a sound…A familiar sound…But where had it come from?

"Nyshairyn, are you listening?" Caout asked indignantly, only to shut up when she saw the look on the pink haired girl's face, "What is it?"

Tide didn't answer and instead walked slowly in the direction the duo had come from. Caout watched as the girl raised her hand in the form of a fist. She saw that wind was swirling slightly around the hand…Tide was getting ready to fight.

Caout stayed where she was and put up both her fists. She closed her eyes and listened carefully.

There! She had just heard the noise. Caout snapped her eyes in the direction she had heard it come from. She saw that Tide was already heading that way. Then-

"AHH!"

The first demon had come from nowhere and punched Tide in the middle of her chest. The force of the move sent her flying several feet back. Caout ran over to the girl, who sat up and rubbed her torso.

Laughing filled the air…That same horrible laughter they had heard days earlier in that clearing…The presence of these demons meant only one thing to Caout…

"Reo is nearby…" she whispered.

Caout grunted as she was suddenly punched in the jaw by another demon. As she rubbed the point of contact, she looked up and saw five of those monsters. They looked at the girls with their blood red eyes…They ran their tongues over their glistening fangs.

"Caout…" one demon hissed, "Reo has been looking for you for some time now…"

"Yes," another added, "Come with us, we'll take you to him. We can all go back to Mizure."

"I already said I won't go back to that hellhole!" Caout shouted at the creatures, standing up.

"If she doesn't want to go to that place, you shouldn't force her…" Tide added as she got up.

Tide then put on hand behind her back, secretly trying to get a fire going. She remembered how well the fire had worked in stopping those monsters last time. One of the demons vanished then.

"Ow!" Tide winced as she felt a crushing grip on the arm behind her back.

Tide turned her head and saw the demon holding her tightly, a sinister expression on his face. Tide shivered as it put its face an inch away from her own.

"Trying to start a fire again, Carrier?" the demon asked with a laugh.

"Let her go!" Caout shouted, "Gum-Gum Pistol!"

The demon disappeared as soon as Caout's attack started. But before it vanished, it positioned Tide in such a way that she got nailed by the full force of the punch. Tide's body slammed against a tree. Caout looked with horror as her arm snapped back.

"Nyshairyn!" she shouted as she started to run towards the girl.

She had taken three steps when she felt herself being grabbed by several hands. Before she could react, Caout was slammed against another tree. She opened her eyes to see the five demons. Two held her arms, two held her legs and the fifth held her by the throat.

"Please cooperate, Caout," the one holding her neck said.

"Shut up!" she said, "And let go of me, damn it!"

"Not a chance…Not until Reo gets here…He is mad at you, Caout."

Caout felt a shiver go through her as she thought of Reo being close by. The demon that held her neck, sensing this shudder, moved the hair that covered the left side of the girl's neck, revealing the long scar.

"That's right," the monster said with a chuckle, "Of course you would be scared of him…He gave you this scar, remember?"

Caout growled and struggled against the demons' arms.

"Who knows? Maybe he'll give you a few more to match-"

"WIND SCYTHE!"

The demons dropped Caout as the attack sliced off their heads. Caout sprinted away from the tree, to where Tide was now standing. A trickle of blood came from her mouth and was dripping down her chin.

"You have some punch, Listerra…" she said as they both watched the heads reattach to the monsters' bodies.

"Gum-Gum Whip!" Caout shouted as she swung her leg at the demons, catching two of them while the others vanished again.

The two she had caught reformed and disappeared as well. Caout listened carefully. As she heard a whizzing noise pass her ear, she shot her arm out. Caout wrapped the limb several times around the demon's neck and sent it flying towards her.

Tide took the opportunity to get a ball of wind forming in her hand. The wind speed picked up…Eighty miles per hour…Ninety…hundred…

As the demon came to the pair, Tide smashed the ball of super fast wind in its face. Caout let go as the demon was sent flying, spinning. Caout clapped Tide on the shoulder, a smile on her face.

"That was awesome, Nyshairyn!" she said with glee, "We got one!"

"Don't get too excited, Listerra…It'll be back-"

Tide cut off suddenly. The smile on Caout's face went away. They both looked at Tide's chest…They looked at the five claws poking through it…

Before either could say a word, Caout was grabbed by her tie and flung several feet away. Tide clenched her teeth as a demon put its head near hers.

"Listen, Carrier child," it whispered lowly, "Our only condition for Caout's retrieval is that we bring her back _**alive**_…So we have full permission to rough her up as much as we want. The girl just has to still be breathing by the time we're done."

Tide said nothing…The pain was overwhelming and her vision was slowly turning black.

"You're just in the way, girl…So we have no reason not to kill you. So this is what's gonna happen…I'll take my claws and plung them through your heart. It will be an instant death and you'll experience no more pain…Then, me and my companions will continue to torture Miss Caout until she starts complying with us…"

As the monster said that, Tide heard Caout's yells of pain from somewhere out of her sight. She could hear slashing and she heard the sickening crunch of a bone…

Tide bit her lower lip so hard that she tasted blood. She willed her eyesight back to normal and turned her head to see where Caout was. She was on her knees a few feet away from her. Her right arm was bruised to the point of being purple. It was dangling limply beside her…So that was the crunching she had heard. Blood was dripping down Caout's head and some more blood came from her mouth. There were slash marks all over her other arm and Tide could see blood from where Caout's pant legs were ripped open. The four demons that were attacking her were a mere five feet away, ready to attack once more.

Tide concentrated…She knew what had to be done…She raised her arm…

Caout's eyes widened in shock as the demons and Tide disappeared inside a gigantic ball of wind. She struggled to her feet as she heard the yells of outrage from the demons. Caout ran at the wind ball.

"Nyshairyn!" she yelled as she collided with the wind, only to be thrown back.

"Listerra, don't bother!" Tide said back over the roar of the wind, "This wall is impossible to penetrate!"

The demon who had held her joined the others in trying to escape the prison.

"Listerra, get going!" Tide yelled, "You know the way! Now's your chance! I can't keep this up forever!"

"Forget it!" Caout yelled back, "You can't handle those five all by yourself! I won't let you do this!"

"Listerra, listen to me. Either you leave now and trust that I can handle this or you stay and watch as I die and you get taken back to that Mizure place!"

"If by going back to Mizure I can save you, then I will!"

"YOU IDIOT! You think that I'm doing all this just to watch you be forced back to place you hate? I'm doing this because I believe in your dream! I want you to find your family again! Don't insult me by staying here!"

Caout felt her lip quivering.

"B-but…But…"

"Listerra…I'm your partner. You have to trust that I know what I'm doing…You trust me, right?"

Caout gritted her teeth and clenched her fists so tightly, her nails pierced her palms.

"YEAH, I TRUST YOU, MORON!" she yelled, "DON'T YOU GO DYING ON ME, YOU HEAR?"

"Wouldn't dream of it…" Tide replied.

With one last look at the wind ball, Caout turned and sprinted down the path. She had to reach the docks and get on a boat, any boat. She didn't care if she had to steal one. She couldn't let Tide's sacrifice be in vain.

* * *

Inside the wind ball, Tide glared at the demons, who stopped trying to escape. She was puzzled. Why did they look so happy? They turned to face Tide, a look of triumph on each face.

"My, how touching…" one hissed.

"Too bad your sacrifice wasn't worth it…" another said.

"What are you talking about?" Tide asked, her strength faltering slightly.

"…You two played right into Reo's plan…There's no hope for either of you now…"

Tide fell to her knees. The wind ball dissolved. She no longer had the energy to keep it going. But Caout had escaped…She looked up to see the demons dissolving.

"Reo will be meeting your 'partner' shortly…" one said before it vanished, "At the docks…"

Tide felt like her heart dropped into her stomach as she was left alone…_**What?**_

Tide yelled as she was suddenly kicked in the ribs. She heard the crack of a few bones as she tumbled. Tide sat up, ignoring the pain. Standing before her was a familiar figure…

"Hello, mongrel girl," Captain Silver said, "For the crime of murdering three hundred innocent people in Haustella, for trespassing on this island as though you have rights and for being a Carrier…You are sentenced to immediate execution."

Tide watched as the man raised his gun and aimed between her eyes. She let out a soft sigh.

So this was it…

* * *

Caout kept running, not looking back once. She had to be close to the docks by now. As she kept running she heard two loud bangs…The sound of gunshots. She didn't process who was shooting in this place.

As she continued to run, Caout thought she heard the sound of running footsteps a bit away from her. She assumed it was an echo form her own steps and dismissed it. She thought she heard some distant shouting. She dismissed that as well. All that was on her mind was getting to the docks…

Caout finally burst out onto wood. She stopped, panting and sweating, looking at the wooden planks she was standing on. She looked this way and that…She had done it…She had reached the docks…

But where were the boats?

Caout's heart sank as she saw that there weren't any ships anywhere in sight…She breathed heavily…

"This can't be happening…" she gasped, sounding utterly desperate, "There has to be a ship here…There has to be! There has to be!"

Caout thought that if she ran down the docks, she might come across a vessel. So she ran. She kept her eyes toward the ocean…Looking for any type of ship. Just then, the wind picked up and took her hat. Caout turned her attention to the hat and ran after it. She couldn't lose that!

"Ouch!"

Caout grunted and fell back. She had been so focused on the hat, she collided with something…Make that someone…

"Oh, I'm sorry!"

Caout sat up to look at who she ran into. The kid sat up and was rubbing the back of her head. Caout saw that she had long orange hair. The girl opened her eyes. She jumped up quickly.

"Oh God!" Hazuki yelled in shock, "Are you okay?"

The black haired girl who was looking up at her was covered in blood and bruises. She looked to be an absolute mess. She stood up slowly. Hazuki saw the girl was a bit taller than her. She also thought that the girl reminded her of someone…

"My hat…" she whispered, looking to be on the verge of tears.

First, she had to abandon Tide. Then, she couldn't find a ship. And now her precious hat was gone. How much worse could Caout's life become?

"A hat?" Hazuki questioned, "I saw one flying off just a few seconds ago. Stay right here!"

Caout watched as the redheaded girl ran off. Hazuki looked this way and that and finally found the hat she had seen in the sand. She picked it up and dusted it off.

_A red cowboy hat…_Hazuki thought as she ran back. _Why does that seem to ring a bell?_

Caout was happy when the girl returned and handed her the hat. Caout clutched it tightly before putting it back in its normal position of hanging off her neck.

"Hazuki!"

"Hey, Hazuki! Where are you?"

"Hazuki?"

"Hey, Hazuki!"

Hazuki turned at the sound of her name. The others were looking for her. Of course they would be…She had fallen behind them by a lot.

"I'm over here!" she yelled in response to the voices.

"Your name is Hazuki?" Caout asked the redhead.

"Yup!" she replied, beaming, "Monkey D. Hazuki! But my friends and family call me Haz."

Hazuki turned as she saw Zoro, Sanji and Ayrel coming at her. She walked over to the three.

"Man, Haz!" Ayrel exclaimed, "You had us worried!"

"If you couldn't keep up, you should have just said so," Zoro added.

"We would have waited for you," Sanji said.

Hazuki apologized. Caout watched them from a distance and smiled softly…

"So…" she said to herself, "That's what it's like to have a family…How nice."

Caout turned and started walking back the way she came. She still needed to find some way off this island. Maybe there was a boat in that direction.

Luffy arrived a few seconds later.

"Geez, Haz!" he said, ruffling the girl's hair, "Where have you been?"

"I was helping that person!" Hazuki yelled, pointing.

The adults looked up to see who Hazuki was pointing at. It was dark so they could barely make out the outline of a figure walking away.

"Papa," Hazuki said, tugging on Luffy's arm, "She's hurt badly…We have to help her out."

Luffy nodded slightly. Sure they were in a hurry to find Caout. But they arrived at the docks and all they had to do now was wait.

"HEY!" Luffy yelled at the figure, who stopped, "Come back! If you're hurt, we'll help you out!"

Caout turned at the sound of the voice. She had half a mind to run…Common sense told her to run. But maybe, just maybe, these people might have a boat…They may help her off this island so she could find her family.

Caout ran back towards them. As she came closer to the Straw Hats, they could see her more clearly. She was a young girl. Luffy stepped forward to introduce herself as Caout came to a halt a couple feet away.

The smile on Luffy's face vanished. His mouth opened slightly. His eyes stared at the girl with the cowboy hat…

Caout looked up at the man with the straw hat. She bit her lip lightly. She focused her eyes on his face…His very familiar face…

* * *

Whoo! Yeah! Luffy and Caout are seeing each other for the first time in eight years! This story is slowly coming to its conclusion. I thought I got kind of corny in certain points of this story but it was necessary to convey all these emotions.

On a side note…THIS CHAPTER HAS BROKEN MY RECORD FOR LONGEST CHAPTER TO DATE!

Please read and review!


	31. Bring It On

I'm just going to go straight into the story because I have nothing interesting to add here. So here we go! I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: **Me: **I claim no ownership of One Piece…I claim no ownership of One Piece…I claim no ownership of One Piece…**Caout: **Why is she saying that over and over? **Tide: **I don't know…Maybe something in her brain broke down…

* * *

Luffy and Caout kept staring at each other for several minutes. Zoro, Ayrel, Sanji and Hazuki were standing a couple feet behind Luffy. It was absolutely silent. The only sounds that could be heard were the wind whistling through the leaves and the waves hitting the supports of the docks.

Hazuki looked up at the other adults, trying to figure out why everyone was so quiet. But they were all looking at Luffy and Caout, expressions indiscernible. So Hazuki just waited and watched…

Luffy's expression didn't change a single bit. He took a few steps forward. Caout's mind was telling her to retreat…But her instincts told her to stay still. Luffy stopped a few inches in front of Caout. He kneeled down, never once breaking eye contact with the girl.

"…Caout…?" Luffy said so softly that Caout barely heard him, "…You're….Caout, right?"

Caout didn't say a word. Instead she nodded her head very slowly. Who was this man? Why did he know her name? What was this feeling growing inside her?

Hazuki only slightly caught what her father said. She slowly brought her hands to her mouth and her eyes widened…

Caout furrowed her brow as she stared at the man with the straw hat. His eyes were glistening and he seemed to be fighting back tears…But why…?

"…You are…?" she asked very quietly.

Luffy felt his heart leap when he heard her voice. For the first time in eight years…He heard Caout's voice. Her sweet, beautiful, absolutely perfect voice…

"I'm Luffy," he replied, "Monkey D. Luffy…"

Caout's eyes shined with recollection.

"…You're…You're the Pirate King…" she said with awe.

Luffy nodded. He bit his lip slightly, pondering something…Then, he raised his arms. Caout stood still and watched as Luffy, the world famous Pirate King, put his hands on either side of her face. His touch was gentle. He didn't care about the blood that was dripping onto his hands.

"Caout…" he said with a very slight smile, "It…It really _is_ you…Look at you…You're so big now…"

Caout slowly lifted her good arm and put it on top of one of Luffy's.

"You're really beautiful," Luffy went on, "But wow…Nami was right…You _do_ look a lot like me…"

Caout felt her heart skip a beat and her breathing grew faint. It couldn't be…There was no way.

"You're…" Caout whispered, "You're my…."

Luffy smiled softly.

"…You're my daughter, Caout…I'm your dad…"

Caout ripped herself away from Luffy's grip. She took several steps back, never once breaking eye contact with the Pirate King. Her eyes grew, her breathing became shallow and her heart was going faster than a train.

This was too much to take in…After eight years. After eight long years…Caout was finally face to face with her father….

Luffy stood up slowly, his smile bittersweet.

"I'm sorry," Luffy said, "I have no right to say I'm your father, do I? I wasn't there at all over the years…"

Caout clenched her fists. She was shaking. A thousand emotions were swirling inside her…The first one that came out…?

Anger…

"Yeah, that's right!" Caout shouted at him, "You were _**never**_ there for me! Eight years! Eight godforsaken years I was in a place worse than hell! Eight years I wondered who my parents were! I wondered what the hell did I do wrong that my parents decided to leave me!"

Luffy flinched at that last statement.

"Your mother and I never once chose to leave you, Caout!" Luffy answered, "You were taken from us! You were kidnapped from your bed, right before our eyes! And I….I couldn't stop it…I failed to stop it…"

Caout wrapped her arms around herself. So…Her parents' leaving her in Mizure was a lie as well…? How many lies did _**they**_ tell her…? Besides the ones she already knew…?

"You didn't want me to go…?" Caout asked, needing to hear those words, "You wanted me in your life?"

"Of course we wanted you!" Luffy said.

Caout looked down on the ground. How was she supposed to react to this? She always imagined what it would be like when she saw her family again…But imagining it and the reality were so different. Caout had no idea how to act.

Luffy was also unsure. Here she was…His precious Caout…But he didn't know what to tell her…What to do….

Caout lifted her head slightly. She took a few steps forward, standing a couple inches away from Luffy. She looked up at his face…

This man had to be in his late twenties…But he looked like was a teenager. He looked like an innocent child. Big eyes…Round features…But what Caout was most amazed by was how much of herself she saw in Luffy. The same messy black hair, those bright black eyes, the tan skin…

"Can you stretch?" Caout asked.

"Yeah," Luffy said, "Since I was seven. I ate the Gum-Gum Fruit and I have been able to stretch like rubber ever since…And you? How are your powers?"

"They're good…" Caout said awkwardly.

Now what? Luffy looked to the side and then back down at Caout. He opened his mouth as if to say something…

He didn't get the chance.

"Gah!" Luffy yelped as he felt something slash him on the chest.

Caout's mouth opened as she saw blood…

"Well, well, well…We meet once again, Mister Pirate King."

Luffy's eyes snapped open as he heard that voice. That voice he never once forgot. He turned his head and saw _**him**_ walking towards him.

He was just like how Luffy remembered him…That same pale skin, the greasy hair, the cold eyes and that stupid black cloak.

"Reo…" Caout gasped, staring at the man in horror.

"Hello, Caout!" Reo said, bowing mockingly, "I must say, you caused quite a stir when you ran away from us…"

Luffy clenched his teeth.

"You have no right to speak to her…" he snarled at the man.

Reo merely chuckled. Luffy may be the Pirate King, but that didn't concern Reo. Nor did the other pirates, who were getting into fighting stances. Sparks were coming from Ayrel's hands. Zoro had his hand on his blades, ready to draw them at a moment's notice. Sanji was lighting up a cigarette. Hazuki, unarmed and lacking any other powers, raised her fists and glared at the man.

"It's been years, Luffy…" Reo said casually, "How have you been? Have you been looking for Miss Caout all this time?"

"I've searched for her since the moment you stole her away…" Luffy replied, "And I won't let you take her again, you hear me?"

"But what will you do? You do remember how our battle went last time, don't you? Something like this…?"

Just like that, Reo vanished. Caout gasped. She knew what this was.

"Hey!" Ayrel exclaimed as Reo appeared behind her suddenly. He grabbed her hands and put on sea stone cuffs.

Ayrel growled and tried to pull off the cuffs to no avail. She was getting that sick feeling. Reo smiled at his work and disappeared again. This time, he appeared behind Luffy and did the same to him. Reo disappeared once more and ended up in the place he originally was.

"How did you do that?" Zoro asked.

"Teleportation…" Caout answered, "Reo can teleport to a certain degree…But he only does so when it is dark…"

"Damn it!" Luffy yelled as he struggled against the sea stone cuffs.

"And what else happened the last time we met, Pirate King?" Reo said, "Maybe something like this?"

Reo opened his cloak and a group of ten demons came out. They all snarled and laughed sinisterly…They reminded Caout…

"Reo!" she yelled at the man, "Where's Nyshairyn? She was taking care of five of your creepy monsters."

Reo smiled in a dark way. Caout couldn't help but shudder.

"Ah yes," Reo said, "The Elementist girl. The Carrier who has been assisting you…Well, I'm not certain what happened to her…"

"Liar! Tell me what you know!"

"I speak the truth, Miss Caout. You see, I let a certain Marine Captain I ran into take care of her. But, I've got a feeling that the Carrier's fate might be tied with those gunshots you may have heard earlier…"

Caout's breath was coming out in short gasps. Her entire body was trembling. Her eyes were open but they weren't seeing.

Tide was…dead? It couldn't be…Caout knew that she was a strong girl! There was no way that she would have been killed because of some stupid gunshots…But, if Tide was alright, why hadn't she come to the docks…?

Caout was so lost in her thoughts and disbelief that she didn't notice that Reo had teleported behind her. She gasped as he grabbed her around the neck.

"Now, Caout," Reo said with a wicked grin, "Why don't we go back home? Let's-"

Reo was cut off when Luffy tackled him. He rammed his head against the man, sending him flying a few feet.

"Caout _is_ going home!" Luffy yelled, "She's going to her _**real**_ home…With us!"

Zoro unsheathed his three precious blades. Sanji grinned determinedly. Ayrel growled at Reo and his demon cohorts. Hazuki looked angry as well.

"And what are you going to do?" Reo asked as he got up, wiping a smear of blood from his mouth, "It's not like you can use your Devil Fruit powers…And there's no way you can defeat my little friends."

Luffy stood tall and gave the man a grin.

"BRING IT ON!"

* * *

Elsewhere, about halfway done with her voyage to the other end of Garuka, the Thousand Sunny was sailing peacefully. Her passengers were unaware of the trouble their nakama had gotten themselves into. All except a certain pirate…

Nami was steering the vessel, a serious look on her face. A little while ago, she had heard an explosion coming from somewhere on the island. While she wasn't sure what had caused it, Nami was certain that her loved ones had gotten themselves in trouble. She couldn't shake this feeling in her stomach.

"Nami?"

The navigator turned at her name to see Robin standing behind her.

"Oh, hello, Robin," Nami said with a slight smile, "Couldn't sleep?"

"I came up to see how you were," she answered, "And I wanted to know if you wanted me to take over for you."

"No, I'm fine. I'm not tired. But thanks anyways."

Instead of leaving, Robin sat down nearby. When Nami asked, Robin said that she wanted to keep the redhead company.

"I appreciate it, Robin…" Nami said.

"Nami," Robin said with a smile, "You needn't worry…As our captain would say, everything will work out in the end."

Nami took those words to heart…Everything will work out in the end…Yes, that is something her husband would say. And she had to believe those words.

* * *

"Oni…Giri!"

Zoro's attacked took down three of the demons that had showed up. But as he turned, he saw that demons had reattached themselves and were laughing at him. Zoro cursed them out in his head.

"Épaule! Poitrine! Gigot!" Sanji yelled as he hit the specific body parts he named.

The three demons he battled broke apart but came back together once again. It was like déjà vu as Sanji recalled the same thing happening back on the Thousand Sunny eight years earlier.

Luffy and Ayrel, currently unable to use their powers, had to resort to using their legs and heads to get anything done. It helped for Ayrel that she trained during her Marine days just in case she ever got into a situation where her Devil Fruit powers didn't work. Luffy also was doing well considering that he had trained with Rayleigh for two years to hone his Haki abilities.

Whenever the demons disappeared, Luffy concentrated. Each time, he would be able to sense the upcoming attack just in time to get out of the way. He would then head butt or kick the attacking demon.

Ayrel jumped and spun, kicking two demons in their heads. She then ran at another and rammed it into the ocean.

Of course, it didn't help that the demons would just reattach their bodies and go back on the rampage. The last demon decided to go after Hazuki. After seeing how hard a time the adults were having, Hazuki spent her battle running and dodging.

"Ow!" Hazuki yelled as she got slashed on the arm for the fifth time, "Knock it off, damn it! Quit slashing me!"

"What are you even doing here, child?" the demon asked as it kept disappearing and reappearing, cutting off Hazuki's escape paths, "You have no powers, you have neither strength nor speed…You're utterly useless!"

Hazuki kept running but gritted her teeth. While she wouldn't admit it aloud, the demon had a point…

* * *

While all this was going on, Reo held Caout tightly. Caout was so scared of the man that she didn't even attempt to struggle. She watched in horror at the battle going on before her eyes.

"Reo, you already have me!" she shouted at the man, "Just take me back to Mizure and call off those monsters!"

"Don't worry, Caout," Reo answered slyly, "We'll be going as soon as I'm certain that these guys are dead…You see, a parent's love is very annoying. No matter what may happen, parents will keep trying to help their precious children. I don't want these guys to be nuisances anymore…So I want their lives ended tonight!"

_In other words, you just want to make sure you win…_Caout thought. _What am I supposed to do?_

* * *

As Hazuki ran around, she cut off another demon. To her shock, the creature who was pursuing her sliced its own comrade. Hazuki watched as the attacked demon dissolved.

"Why did you destroy your own friend?" she asked as she just barely dodged another attack.

"Fool!" the demon answered, "It doesn't matter who gets in the way! Our only job is destroying you pesky humans…"

Hazuki considered that for a moment. She looked and saw that the cloaked man, Reo, was holding captive Caout…_Her __**sister**_…_Her older sister_…

A grin came across her face as Hazuki got an idea. She started zigzagging as she ran, making it more difficult for the demon to land a blow. She headed straight towards Reo and Caout.

"Damn it! Hold still!" the monster yelled at the girl.

Hazuki did end up holding still…Right in front of Reo….

As the demon launched an attack, Hazuki ducked just in time to avoid it. The attack hit Reo, who hadn't noticed what was happening. Reo yelled as he fell back. Hazuki grabbed Caout's arm and pulled her away as the demon went towards the fallen man.

"I-I-I'm sorry!" it stuttered, "P-p-p-please forgive me!"

"You absolutely idiotic piece of crap!" Reo shouted as he put his hand over the wound on his torso, "Attack those damn pirates, ignoramus!"

Caout looked down at the redhead who was beaming at her.

"Thanks," she said, "You know how to come up with plans under pressure, huh?"

"It's what I do!" Hazuki replied with a smile. Her face then became serious, "But what do we do about these demons? They're causing so much trouble for us! And it doesn't help that two of our fighters are being held back by those sea stone cuffs…"

Caout frowned and thought hard…What _**were**_ they to do? The only way they were going to take out the demons was if they could get a fire going…No…

"Say, what kind of power does the lady have?" Caout asked curiously, hoping it could be of some help.

"Ayrel is a Logia user," Hazuki explained, "She controls electricity."

Caout's eyes grew wide and she laughed slightly. Electricity, huh? That would work just fine! Caout turned her attention to Reo, who was chewing out the demon who had attacked him.

"That guy has the key that will open those cuffs…" she said softly so only Hazuki could hear, "Their hidden in his cloak…"

"So how do we get to them?" Hazuki asked.

Caout tapped her chin with her finger. How? She slowly looked down at Hazuki, giving her a look. Hazuki opened her mouth and closed it. She groaned…

* * *

Reo looked at the battles going on around the docks. He laughed darkly. Sure, these guys were the infamous Straw Hat Pirates…But they weren't having luck with defeating his minions. It was impossible! The only thing that would destroy them was-

"Reo, you creep!"

Reo turned very slowly at the voice. He looked at the pissed off looking Caout uninterestedly.

"Hello there," he said, "Be patient, Caout. This battle will end soon…And we'll go back to Mizure. Everyone's waiting for you to return."

"Shut up, bastard!" Caout shouted, "Is this how you're going to accomplish things, Reo? Hiding behind your minions like a coward?"

Reo's eye twitched ever so slightly at that statement.

"What are you babbling about, Caout?"

"I'm saying that you don't need those demons to win," Caout replied, "You're a monster in your own right…"

Caout pulled her hair away from the left side of her neck and pointed at her scar…

"Remember this, Reo? It wasn't your little friends who gave this to me…It was _**you**_…By your own abilities…"

"So what are you saying, Caout?" Reo asked, chuckling. He squinted his eyes and gave the girl a wicked smile, "Would you like to see that monster again…?"

"No, thanks!" Caout said suddenly, "Bye!"

Reo watched, a little puzzled, as Caout suddenly ran off. He shook his head slowly. That girl always was an oddball…

* * *

Caout ran until she was just out of sight of Reo. She turned towards the darkness of the nearly barren woods.

"You there, redhead?" she asked.

Hazuki stepped out from behind a tree. She was trembling ever so slightly but there was a smile on her face. She had one hand behind her back.

"Well?" Caout asked, "Did you do it?"

Hazuki's grin became wider as she brought her hidden hand to the front of her. Caout laughed lightly as she saw the keys on the ring. Hazuki swung them around on her finger.

"I can't believe that actually worked!" Caout said happily, "He didn't even sense you taking them!"

"What can I say?" Hazuki replied, "I am my mother's daughter…"

Caout grinned determinedly…The tides had just changed…

* * *

Another chapter is over! Not as long as the last one but still longer than my average chapter. I know that my fight scenes aren't really good. I'm not the type who is good at writing about physical battles. I'm good at writing about sneaky maneuvers and tricky plans though. And emotional and/or humor scenes…Oh, I have some news for all my loyal readers…

**THE NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE THE FINAL ONE!**

By the way, once again for fun, here are the kids' full names. The ones who only have a first name aren't included. Even siblings have different surnames…I did it for the heck of it…So here they are.

Listerra D. Caout (It's unknown where her surname came from at the moment…That's for another story. Her middle initial came from her dad.)

Nyshairyn Tide (Her surname's origin is also unknown for the moment…)

Monkey D. Hazuki (Her surname and middle initial came from her father of course.)

Roronoa Kuina (She took her surname from her dad…It fit her better…)

Silverra D. Sky (He got his surname and middle initial from his mom. Note that he is the only boy on this list…It's kind of funny.)

Nico Anna (She took her surname from her mom.)

Please keep reading and reviewing! The last chapter is up next!


	32. Finally

Hello everyone! Here it is! The culmination of an entire summer of work…This is the final chapter of Straw Hat Legacies: The Name's Caout! (Applause and awws) I know, I know! I can't believe this is the end either. I've been working all summer on this story after all. But we all knew this had to come to an end soon…But hey, don't fret! More stories will come soon! Don't think this is the end of the Straw Hat kids!

**BIG NEWS! I have made a sequel for this story called A Name For Ourselves! PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!**

I would like to thank all my readers, favoriters, reviewers and alerters! You guys made me so happy! I'm glad that you all liked my very first story. Thank you all!

Here it is! THE FINAL CHAPTER!

Disclaimer: **Me: **I…I don't…I don't own One Piece! (Runs away crying...) **Caout and Tide: **Enjoy the story!

* * *

"The next step is getting to our targets without getting killed…" Caout said, referring to Luffy and Ayrel.

"Tell me again how letting them use their powers will change anything," Hazuki said, "If I recall what Mama told me about that night, even if you use Devil Fruit powers it will be a hopeless battle."

"It all depends on the power you have…" Caout replied with a grin, "Among the Devil Fruit users of your crew, how many of them have a power that creates a lot of light? And I'm referring to the users who were present eight years ago…"

"Well, like I said, Ayrel can control electricity," Hazuki said, "Uncle Ace can control fire but he wasn't there when you were taken…"

"Then _Ayrel_ was the only one that Reo was most concerned about cuffing with the sea stone."

Caout went on to explain that Ayrel's powers would be the most troublesome for Reo because her powers created the demons' enemy. So he wanted to make sure Ayrel was cuffed so that she wouldn't have the opportunity to use her abilities. So that it wouldn't look suspicious, Reo also had the other Devil Fruit users cuffed.

"So then," Hazuki began, "The demons' weakness is…"

"Light…" Caout finished, "That's why they only attack when it's dark. And Reo always stays in the shade during the day because he doesn't want light hitting his cloak."

Hazuki nodded with understanding. She looked at where Ayrel was. After all, she was their main target. She spotted the woman kicking back two demons.

"Alright!" Hazuki said, "Here's the plan-"

"You distract the demons and I'll unlock the sparky lady!" Caout said determinedly, snatching the keys out of Hazuki's hand.

Hazuki watched in shock as Caout ran towards Ayrel.

"Damn you!" she yelled as she realized _she_ was the one who had to actually provide distraction.

* * *

Luffy closed his eyes. He concentrated, letting a combination of his Haki and his instincts take over...

"Punch from the left," he said to himself as he dodged the attack by the demon, "Kick from the right…Left…Below…Above…Right…"

The demons were shocked as Luffy avoided getting hit by any of their attacks. Luffy then slammed his head into a nearby monster.

"I've got to remember to call up Rayleigh and thank him for teaching me," Luffy muttered to himself.

Meanwhile, Ayrel was currently kicking the living daylights out of a demon she had cornered. It didn't matter that its body would go back to normal, she kept on going.

The demon then slipped away and joined one of its comrades. They both looked over. Ayrel turned her head and saw, to her utter shock, Hazuki was a few feet away. She was waving her arms wildly and yelling at the demons. The monsters chuckled darkly and went after the girl, who started running and screaming.

"Oh shoot!" Ayrel said, "Don't worry, Haz! I'm coming!"

"Hold still, lady!"

Ayrel paused and turned her head to look behind her. There was Caout, pushing numerous keys on the ring into the hole in the cuffs.

"Caout? How did you-?"

"No questions, woman!" Caout yelled as she found the right key and took off the cuffs, "Now I need you to make things as bright as possible. Demons aren't big fans of brightness!"

Ayrel rubbed her now free wrists and nodded that she understood. She ran a few feet and then lifted her arm towards the sky.

"VOLT FIST!" Ayrel shouted as her hand turned into electricity.

Everyone watched as a huge beam of electricity shot into the sky. The light emitted from the attack was almost blinding.

The demons started screaming as they slowly dissolved away. The light was nothing but painful for them. Caout took the opportunity to run over to Luffy and free him from his sea stone cuffs as well.

"NO!" Reo shouted as he heard more screaming coming from his cloak.

He could only watch as his cloak slowly started to dissolve away. Within five minutes, the demons who had attacked the Straw Hats, Reo's cloak…They were all gone…

"Are you kidding?" Sanji panted, "You're telling me that all we had to do to beat them eight years ago was light things up?"

"That would've saved us a lot of trouble…" Zoro growled as he resheathed his precious blades.

"That's taken care of!" Ayrel said cheerfully for a job well done.

Hazuki ran back and started hitting Caout for making her do something so dangerous. Caout apologized over and over with each blow.

Luffy rubbed his wrists and started to walk towards Reo, a frown on his face.

"What now? Your friends are gone…You're the only one left…"

Reo started breathing heavily and snarled.

"You think you've won?" he asked, his body shaking, "You think you have beaten me? _I WON'T ALLOW THIS_!"

Caout shivered as she saw what happened. Reo's body shook violently. His extremely pale skin was turning as black as night…His pupils became slits. His nails grew and grew to become claws. By the time he was done, this…beast…was no longer recognizable as the calm and cool Reo. The monster roared.

_Him…_Caout thought in horror. _It was in this form that he gave me my scar…_

This was why Reo scared Caout. It was because of this form of his. She had heard the tale back in Mizure. In exchange for housing demons in his dark cloak, Reo was given demonic powers himself. He could become this horrifying beast whenever he wanted. But he rarely did because most people never beat his minions…

Luffy looked at the monster in amazement. He clenched his teeth.

"You wanna rumble?" Luffy asked lowly, "You've got it!"

Luffy ran at the man, his fist raised. When he was a few inches away, Reo simply jumped out of the way. He ran behind Luffy and slashed him on the back. Luffy quickly turned and punched the creature in the middle of his face.

Reo flew back a couple of feet but he landed on his legs. Blood came from his nose but he snarled at Luffy. The Pirate King could feel the warm blood dripping down his back. He gritted his teeth.

"Gum-Gum…" Luffy said, "PISTOL!"

Luffy shot his arm out towards Reo. Reo moved his body out of the way just in time. He turned his head and then clamped his teeth onto Luffy's outstretched arm.

"Ahh!" Luffy said as the pain shot through him.

His eyes widened as he felt his body slingshot towards the beast. As Luffy's body reached his arm, the monster grabbed the straw hat boy's head in his hand. He then took Luffy and flung him hard into a nearby tree.

* * *

"Oh no!" Hazuki exclaimed, worrying about her father. She turned to the other Straw Hats, "You guys! Help him!"

"We can't, Haz…" Sanji said, "Luffy won't let us…"

"He gave us strict orders years ago," Zoro began, "That if we ever ran into this guy again, he alone would face off against him. We aren't allowed to interfere no matter what…"

"But…" Hazuki murmured, "B-b-but…"

"C'mon, Haz," Ayrel said gently, putting a hand on the young girl's shoulder, "We have to trust in our captain…He's defeated all kinds of people before. We have to trust that he can handle this as well…"

* * *

Luffy growled and ripped himself away from Reo's grasp. However, the man's claws scratched his face as he did so. Luffy winced as he stepped a couple feet back from the monster. He tasted the blood as it fell into his mouth.

"Gum-Gum Gatling!" Luffy shouted.

He grinned as he saw the beast Reo being pummeled over and over by the attack. Reo landed in the sand, his nose broken, his jaw shattered. He coughed up some blood. But he staggered to his feet.

"I won't let you win…" he said lowly, "I won't be punished by the Master because of you!"

"You bastard!" Luffy yelled back as he dodged Reo's attempt to ram him, "I couldn't care less what happens to you! Do you have _any idea_ what you've done to me for the past eight years?"

Reo turned and was about to ram the pirate again when suddenly he felt something wrapping around his limbs. Reo looked down to see an arm and two legs wrapped around his body. He turned his head to see what was going on.

"Gum-Gum Bell!"

A resounding crack was heard as Caout's head slammed at full force against Reo's skull. Caout let go as Reo's body flew towards Luffy. She then grabbed her broken arm, which had hit Reo as she let go. It was stinging badly.

"Gum-Gum Bullet!" Luffy yelled as he punched Reo.

The monster flew back towards Caout. Caout ducked to avoid his body as he flew into some of the trees. Caout looked up at Luffy who was smiling at her.

"Not bad…" he said with a grin.

Caout smiled back and quickly turned around when she heard rustling from the trees. Reo came wobbling back out of the forest area.

"You…" he said as he looked at Caout, "I beat you the last time you tried to fight me…I nearly killed you. You have the mark to prove it!"

"That was because I was stupid and scared and weak!" Caout yelled at him, "Plus, I had no real reason to win then! Back then…I wanted to die so badly…I had nothing to live for! Everything and everyone I had loved were stolen from me…But right now, I have a reason to win again! I finally found it! The family that I lost! I found it! _AND YOU WON'T TAKE ME AWAY FROM THEM AGAIN_!"

"You cocky little bitch…" Reo growled as he raised his fist.

Caout growled and raised her fists. Behind her, Luffy prepared himself to deliver another Gum-Gum Pistol attack. But before any of them could move…

"Wind Scythe!"

Caout's eyes widened as she saw Reo yell out. Blood sprayed from his back. Slowly, the man fell to his knees and then forward onto his face. But Caout wasn't looking at him…She looked at the figure slowly limping out of the woods…

Long pink hair…One of her blue eyes was looking at Caout while the other was swollen shut…She was drenched in blood…She was bruised beyond belief…

But she was _alive_…

"NYSHAIRYN!" Caout yelled out with glee, running towards the Elementist.

Caout took special care to run on top of the fallen Reo, who was slowly returning back into his regular form. Caout paused a few inches away from Tide, who was breathing shallowly.

"But…" Caout said, "I thought…You…"

"C'mon, Listerra," Tide said hoarsely, "I said I wouldn't die on you…"

But Tide had to admit, it was a close call… 

* * *

_"Hello, mongrel girl…For the crime of murdering three hundred innocent people in Haustella, for trespassing on this island as though you have rights and for being a Carrier…You are sentenced to immediate execution."_

Tide was staring at the gun Silver aimed between her eyes. She sighed, thinking that this had to be the end. She apologized to Caout, who she had unknowingly sent straight into a trap…

Tide flinched slightly and shut her eyes as she heard Silver cocking the gun. But why was she nervous? Wasn't this what she wanted? Tide had wanted to be dead for the longest time…And now, here was her chance. So what was wrong with her…? Why was her body trembling like this?

* * *

_**"You know, just for that, I'm only going to call you Nyshairyn! Don't ever expect to hear your first name out of me!"**_

"Now, you owe me one! So, you can pay me off by taking me to those docks, Nyshairyn!"

"You know, Nyshairyn…If we're going to be spending a few days together, we might as well learn more about each other, don't you think?"

"Us outcasts should stick together, don't you think?"

"I told you a few days ago, didn't I? I told you as of that day forward we were partners. And as my partner, I trust you. I don't care what you are, what you look like and I have no concern about what you did in the past. Right now, in this moment, we're partners. And partners have faith in each other. Alright, Nyshairyn?"

"YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT HER! A demon? A monster? A murderer? You guys know nothing! Do you even have a clue what she went through?"

* * *

_Tide opened her eyes slowly as those words spun around in her head…That's right…She didn't want to die right now…Because she couldn't…Caout was in trouble and needed her help. She couldn't just stay here and die like a loser while Caout was forced to return to her own personal hell…_

Tide couldn't do that to her own partner…

Tide snapped her eyes at Silver, whose finger was on the trigger. As he pulled, Tide pulled her right arm in front of her. She listened as Silver shot twice. The bullets bounced off of the gold band on her arm with a couple clangs.

It was times like these when Tide was thankful for her almost diamond tough gold band…

"What the hell?" Silver said as he lowered the weapon.

Tide took the chance to jump up onto her feet. Her body was sore all over but she ignored it. Instead she ran at Silver with as much speed as she could muster. Silver fumbled to raise his gun but Tide tackled the man.

As the two struggled on the ground, Silver landed a decent punch to Tide's face, right in the eye. Tide retaliated by punching him numerous times in the jaw.

"Don't think you'll get away with this, devil girl!" Silver yelled.

"…Say goodnight, captain…" Tide said as she slammed her head into the man's skull.

Tide jumped off of the now unconscious man. After rubbing her throbbing head for a minute, she started to limp away. She had to get to the docks quickly…Who knows how much trouble Caout could have gotten into?

* * *

"It looks like I didn't need to worry after all…" Tide said as she looked over at Reo, "All I had to do was give you a little help…"

Caout grinned. Now she could really be happy…Tide was alive…Caout watched as Tide closed her eyes and fell forward. She caught the Carrier and smiled softly.

"You're a very troublesome partner, Nyshairyn…" Caout said with a laugh to the knocked out girl.

"DON'T DO IT!"

Caout snapped herself around at the sound of the redheaded girl's terrified cry. Hazuki was staring in horror at Luffy, who was advancing on the barely conscious Reo. The look on the man's face was so…fearsome…

Luffy growled as he stood above the bloody man. He reached down and pulled up the man by his pale hair. Reo was just awake enough to know what was happening…

"Please spare me…" Reo said in barely a whisper, "Don't kill me…"

"I asked you if you realized what you put me through for the past eight years…" Luffy snarled, "Do you know what I missed? I missed Caout's first steps…I missed her first words. I never heard her call me 'Daddy'. I didn't get to learn if she loves meat as much as I do…I never got to train her to hone her rubber powers! I never saw her playing and fighting with her little sister! _I MISSED IT ALL_! BECAUSE OF _YOU_, BASTARD!"

Luffy raised his hand. Hazuki covered her eyes. She was terrified…It was going to be like that time on Serafus all over again.

"_But I can't kill you_!"

Hazuki snapped her head up at Luffy, who lowered his shaking arm… Luffy gritted his teeth and was breathing shallowly.

"As much as I want to kill you, I won't," Luffy said softly, "Because, in the end, I'm a better man than you…"

Luffy dropped Reo unceremoniously on the dock. He turned back to look at Hazuki. She was wiping away a few tears from her eyes and gave her father a big smile. Zoro grinned at his captain. Sanji gave him a thumbs up. Ayrel gave a small laugh and looked at the boy with pride.

Luffy then turned his attention to Caout. She walked slowly towards the straw hat man. Caout slowly lowered Tide on the ground and motioned for Luffy to kneel down, which he did. Caout then gave him a sweet smile.

"I think I'm gonna like you…" Caout said innocently, "…Daddy…"

Luffy opened his mouth but no words came out…That word…For so long he'd dreamed of hearing that word come from Caout's mouth…Luffy chuckled and put a hand on the girl's shoulder.

"I'm glad you called me that…" he said, "Thank you so much…"

"Listerra D. Caout! At your service!" Caout said with a salute.

"Listerra?" Luffy asked. He shook his head, "Alright…If that's the name you want to go by, go ahead…"

Luffy's face then became serious. He captured Caout's gaze and kept it.

"Caout…I love you…"

Caout's mouth opened slightly at those words. Luffy gave her a grin. For years…For so many years…She had waited to hear those words…He had waited to say them…

With an exhilarated laugh, Caout slammed into Luffy and gave him a one armed hug. Luffy returned the embrace, careful to avoid her bad arm. Finally…Caout was in her father's arms…She was burying her face into his chest…She was shedding tears onto him…

Finally…Finally…Finally…

* * *

"So, what do we do about him?"

Luffy looked over at Zoro. They were all sitting on the dock, awaiting the Thousand Sunny's arrival. The sun slowly rose on the horizon. Several feet behind them was a still knocked out Reo.

"I'm not sure…" Luffy admitted to the swordsman.

Truth was, he really wasn't thinking about it. On one side was his younger daughter, holding his arm tightly. On his other side was his older daughter, leaning against him and poking her unconscious friend. Who cared about Reo when he had them?

"Just leave him here," Caout said as she ceased bothering Tide, "He failed in his mission and got beaten by you…The punishment that awaits him for his failure will be far worse than anything that we can do…"

While the adults had wanted to ask Caout about what went on in her past, they decided against it. She would say when she was ready…

"So, who's the pink haired girl?" Ayrel asked Caout, pointing at Tide.

"Meet Nyshairyn!" Caout said, "Although that's her last name! I said I wouldn't ever say her first name so you'll have to ask her that yourself when she wakes up…She's an Elementist and a Carrier…She can do cool things with air and fire! She's my partner!"

The others decided they would talk with the girl when she woke up…

"She's definitely your daughter, Luffy…" Sanji said with a laugh.

"Hey!" Hazuki said, standing suddenly, "Sunny's here!"

Everyone got up and smiled as they saw their ship, their home, sailing towards them…Luffy looked down at Caout, whose eyes were huge. Her mouth was wide open.

"THAT'S YOUR SHIP?" she asked in awe, "IT'S HUGE!"

"That's the Thousand Sunny," Sanji said, "It's our home…And yours as well…"

Zoro could have sworn that he saw sparkles dancing around Caout's head as she stared at the ship.

_She's Luffy's kid alright…_he thought with a silent grin as Sunny pulled up along the dock.

The others started walking towards the ship. Despite Luffy's protests, Caout insisted on carrying Tide to the ship herself. She had gone no more than a few feet when she heard a soft moan from the Elementist...

"Well, look who decided to wake up!" Caout said as Tide came to.

"Listerra?" Tide said, pulling away from the girl to stand on her own, "W-where's-"

"Reo's taken care of," Caout said, pointing at the unconcious body, "And see! I've found them! My family! They had been searching for me this whole time. They _are_ good people after all!"

Tide looked to see people she recognized as the Straw Hat Pirates, from pictures in the newspaper...

"Figures you're the descendant of a legendary pirate," Tide scoffed, easily able to tell which one was Caout's father, "...Way to go, Listerra..."

"Thanks, Nyshairyn!" Caout beamed.

The smile turned to a frown as Tide started to turn and walk away. Caout cut off the girl's path, a questioning look on her face.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"Listerra, you have your family back," Tide explained.

"So? What does _that_ have to do with anything? Besides, you're hurt!"

"I'll find a way to treat myself...You go and be where you belong..."

As Tide started to walk away again, Caout once again cut her off. Both were starting to get annoyed with the other.

"Get out of my way, Listerra..." Tide said.

"Not a chance, Nyshairyn!" Caout responded, "You're hurt! And, thanks to me, you're not welcome _anywhere_ on this island!"

Tide crossed her arms in front of her as Caout gave her a smug look.

"So, what do you propose I do then, Listerra?"

"...Come with me."

Caout was a little disappointed when her words didn't change Tide's indifferent expression but she knew her partner well enough by now to know Tide hadn't expected those words.

"...I'm _not_ intruding in your family, Listerra," Tide said after a moment.

"You won't be!" Caout said, "C'mon, Nyshairyn, I may not know these guys by I have a hunch you'll fit in just fine!"

"There's no way...You know how the world sees me-"

"C'mon!" Caout interrupted, "You've heard the rumors about these pirates! They have done all sorts of crazy stuff and have weird people in the crew! How can _they_ hate _you_?"

Tide still seemed unsure.

"Please, Nyshairyn!" Caout pleaded, "This is my first time meeting these people...I want to have _someone_ I know by my side."

Tide looked at Caout, who was giving her the puppy dog eyes. She sighed...This girl...

Caout grinned and stuck out her hand, which Tide stared at. She raised an eyebrow at the rubber girl.

"So we have a deal, partner?" Caout asked playfully.

With an eye roll, Tide grasped Caout's hand and firmly shook it.

"I have no choice thanks to you, partner," Tide replied, "You won't leave me alone."

Caout cheered and grabbed Tide's wrist, dragging her along roughly.

"Then, let's go to the ship!"

"...You're going in the wrong direction moron..."

As Caout turned around suddenly, pulling along Tide and yelling to the Straw Hat Pirates that she was bringing along a new crew mate, Tide looked up to the heavens and shook her head.

What a fix she had gotten herself into...What a fix indeed...

* * *

As the Thousand Sunny pulled away, Reo woke up…He watched as the vessel sailed and gritted his teeth. How? How could he fail so horribly? Reo then heard the familiar ring of the Den-Den Mushi. He willed his arm to reach into his pocket and grab it and slowly opened it.

"Reo!" that terrifying voice said angrily, "Well? Did you get her?"

"I-I'm sorry, s-s-sir," Reo moaned, "The P-p-pirate K-king came and took h-h-her…"

"HE WHAT? REO, YOU ABSOLUTE FOOL! HOW DARE YOU FAIL ME?"

Reo tried to apologize, to promise that he'd try harder next time around, to beg for another chance…But it was far too late for that…Far too late…

"You will stay where you are," Master growled, "I'll send someone to retrieve you…And then you'll face your punishment…"

Reo shook and his eyes grew in terror as the Master hung up. He started crying and screaming and yelling at the top of his lungs…But it was to no avail. Nothing could save him now…Nothing could stop what was going to happen…

No one ever failed the Master unless they wished to suffer the consequences…

* * *

Back on board the Thousand Sunny, as the sun rose higher over the horizon, a bandaged Caout was gradually being introduced to everyone. Tide sat on a nearby chair as she was treated by Chopper. After having introduced herself to the rest of the adult members of the crew, who took to her naturally, she watched as Caout met her family…Her nakama…

Caout considered Zoro to be the cool guy. Sanji was cool in her eyes as well, but in a more suave way. Ayrel was officially the most awesome woman she had ever met. Caout immediately fell for the fun tales that Usopp told her, though Zoro hit him across the head. Something about not filling the girl's head with lies the very first day…It took all Caout had not to squeeze the living daylights out of the adorable Doctor Chopper. Caout considered Robin to be this mystery woman…Franky was weird but pretty fun. Brook was really cool! Come on, a talking skeleton!

"This is Ace," Luffy said as he pushed her gently in front of the man, "He's my big brother and your uncle."

"I know you!" Caout said excitedly, "I've heard about you! _You're the son of the former Pirate King, Gold Roger_!"

"Yeah…" Ace said sheepishly, still a little hesitant about admitting his heritage.

Caout ran up to Ace and grabbed his hand with her good one.

"You are so awesome!" she said with a grin, a sparkle in her eye, "We'll get along just fine! I know it!"

Ace laughed he ruffled his niece's hair for the first time in eight years. Caout giggled in return. How awesome was this?

"Where's Nami?" Luffy asked.

"I called her up a minute ago," Robin said, "I told her to get some rest…"

The Straw Hats turned their attention towards the door as Nami stepped out onto the deck. She stretched and yawned.

"Robin, what's up?" she asked, "Did we arrive yet?"

Nami froze as she saw what was in front of her. Luffy's hands rested gently on Caout's shoulders. Caout looked curiously at the pretty woman with the orange hair. Nami felt her eyes slowly becoming wetter and her body trembled.

"Caout…" Luffy said quietly, "This is Nami. She's my wife…_Your mother_…"

Caout pulled herself away from her father's arms and walked towards Nami, who was crying now. She paused a few inches in front of the woman. Caout tilted her head slightly and then gave Nami a soft smile.

"Hi, Mom…" she said gently, the word sounding so sweet to her.

"Caout!" Nami yelled with joy as she reached down and embraced the girl tightly.

Caout laughed as she felt her mother shaking against her, the tears falling onto her. Caout closed her eyes as tears spilled from her eyes as well. Caout returned the hug…Here she was…Finally holding her mother…What a wonderful feeling.

After a few minutes, Nami and Caout reluctantly pulled apart. Nami stood up and wiped her tears away before reaching down to do the same for Caout. The girl grinned widely at the touch.

"Is that her? Is that Caout?"

"Who else would it be, stupid? But who's the pink haired girl?"

"Wow, she looks like Luffy…"

Caout turned her head as she heard these new, young voices. She found herself staring at a bunch of people who looked to be her own age. These kids were hiding behind the legs of the adults. Caout looked at Luffy questioningly.

"C'mon, you guys!" Luffy said to the kids, "Don't be rude! Caout, these are the kids of my friends. Guys, this is Caout and her friend Nyshairyn Tide…"

The kids slowly stepped out into the open. Caout walked up to them. Tide also walked over to meet these kids. They stood in a small circle, looking at each other curiously. They didn't know what to say. So Caout just started with what one would normally do…

"I'm Listerra D. Caout…You are?"

And so it slowly went around the circle. Everyone said their full names. All but Tide mentioned who they were related to. Caout smiled as the rest of the kids gradually eased up to her presence.

"Hey, Haz!" Caout yelled at the redhead, who came over to the circle, "Who're your parents? I want to meet them!"

The Straw Hat adults and kids' jaws dropped to the ground…Tide put a hand over her eyes and shook her head slowly. The same thought went through their minds.

_She hasn't figured it out yet_…?

"Listerra, don't you see something in common between your mother and this girl?" Tide asked.

Caout glanced at her mom and then back at Hazuki a few times. She then clapped her hands together, as though she had gotten it.

"I get it now!" Caout said, "You and Mom are sisters!"

"THAT'S NOT IT!" the kids yelled at her.

"Caout," Nami said with a laugh, "Hazuki is my younger daughter…She's your little sister!"

Now it was Caout's turn to have her jaw drop. She glanced over at Hazuki, who was beaming at her. Caout then walked really close to the girl, putting her face not even an inch away from hers. Hazuki started getting nervous. Caout then pulled back and crossed her arms.

"I don't accept this…" she finally said.

Everyone looked at each other with the same puzzled looks. Hazuki tilted her head in confusion.

"…You…don't accept…?" Hazuki repeated.

"We look nothing alike," Caout clarified, "It's a lie…You can't be my sister!"

One could hear a pin drop during the silence that followed. Hazuki then growled at her big sister.

"You freakin' idiot!" she said, "It's not a lie! Of course I'm really your sister!"

"I don't believe it!" Caout answered, "You're pale, and I'm tan. You have orange hair and I have black hair. You have brownish eyes and I have black ones! We look too different to be siblings!"

"WHAT KIND OF LOGIC IS THAT? We are sisters, Caout!"

"WE HAVE NOTHING IN COMMON! We share nothing, Haz!"

"We share the same parents, for God's sake!"

The argument went back and forth and back and forth. The Straw Hat kids looked at each other…What was life gonna be like now…? Tide rolled her eyes. Caout may be her partner, but she was still a fool. The adults were in shock…They guessed that Caout may take after Luffy when it came to looks…But they never guessed she would inherit the straw hat boy's personality.

"My…" Ayrel said slowly, "This is certainly…Unexpected…"

"How long can they keep this argument up?" Nami wondered as she watched her two daughters yelling at each other still.

"I didn't think they _could_ have an argument about this…" Ace said in amazement, "But it looks like life will be a little more lively around here, huh Luffy?"

When the captain didn't answer, the Straw Hats turned their heads to where he stood. His entire body was shaking violently. The others looked worried…Luffy then fell on his back. The Straw Hats started to panic…What was wrong with him?

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

They all watched in shock as Luffy burst out laughing. The straw hat boy plopped his arms on the deck on either side of his head. His legs were kicking. A couple tears came out of his eyes. He would cough occasionally due to lack of air. But then he would go on, the widest smile on his face.

The other Straw Hat Pirates smiled and chuckled softly. This was the biggest smile they had ever seen on Luffy's face. Bigger than when he found the One Piece and became Pirate King…Bigger than when he got married…Bigger than when he became a father…Bigger than any of those smiles…

Luffy kept on laughing at full force. It had been a long time since he laughed like this. He didn't care if he looked foolish. He didn't care if it wasn't right for a man his age to be rolling around on the ground, crying while he laughed…He didn't care for any of that. He had both of his daughters with him for the first time ever. He had his wife…He had his brother. He had his crew and his ship…He had everything again, safe and sound…And that's why he smiled…That's why he laughed like this…

Because, for the first time in a long time, the Pirate King Monkey D. Luffy didn't have a single worry…Not a care in the world…

* * *

IT'S DONE! It's actually done! My very first story, which I spent most of my summer vacation on, is actually done! How was it? Was the ending okay? I know my fight scenes are still not great but I try…Like I said before, humor and emotions are what I'm best at…

Of course the last chapter beats all my other chapters for longest chapter of the story! Over five thousand words! That's way longer than anything else I've written!

I hope you all enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it! Please read and review this story!

See you all again for my next tale!


End file.
